French Resistance: Hollande Backs Tougher EU Privacy Laws After NSA Backlash
In the international arena, sometimes even best friends fall out. President Obama made an apologetic call to his French counterpart over allegations the NSA has spied on millions in France, an argument which is causing real friction in the historic alliance between Paris and Washington. In just a single month the agency intercepted more than 70 million calls - prompting Hollande to join the growing club of those urging tougher privacy laws in the EU. The French leader is planning to address the European summit later this week. EU lawmakers have already backed new laws to protect information, which would prevent transfers of data to third countries ... a practice the U.S. exploited. But Paul Murphy - an Irish member of the European Parliament - doubts Washington will learn anything from its mistakes.