alt Hacker NewsYou have no idea what you are talking about, really. We don’t "frequently" pass such laws. Nobody is accessing private messages, even if there have been such attempts.
The EU has still the strongest privacy laws world wide, and in contrast to others a strong ethical foundation. It may be slow, it may be torn, it may be overly beaurocratic, but sure enough not authoritarian.
France is routinely criticised for its police, justice system, and rule of law [1]. In general only the French believe that they are a shining beacon.
[1] https://worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index/country/Fr...