France launches probe into US spy programme

Paris prosecutors have launched an investigation into alleged US spying under the Prism programme following complaints by two human rights groups, sources close to the case said today.
An investigation was launched on July 16 into fraudulent access to personal data and personal correspondence following complaints by the International Federation of Human Rights and the League of Human Rights, they said.
Documents leaked by former CIA worker Edward Snowden suggest that the data-gathering centre GCHQ has had access to a US Internet-monitoring programme since at least June 2010.
Prism is said to give the National Security Agency and FBI easy access to the systems of nine of the world's top Internet companies including Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo and Skype.

The complaint in France also seeks more light on the role played by Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Paltak, Facebook, YouTube, Skype, AOL and Apple in the scandal.
The rights groups said these companies should have ensured that users' privacy was not violated.