by LINA SANKARI
(Translated from French by Gene Zbikowski)
Mata Hari seems to have emulators. On Dec. 18, the parliamentary delegation on intelligence handed the French president a report on the protection of trade secrets, and the balance is enlightening. Unlike most of its economic partners, France has no legislative arsenal to protect its companies against spying. At present, French companies are subject to perfectly legal, wide-scale and exponentially growing attacks. Stolen computers, hacked computer systems, capitalistic raids during financial operations, and improper transfers of technology… In this domain, our U.S. “friends” are not to be outdone.
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Since whistle-blower Edward Snowden’s revelations, it has been public knowledge that the American National Security Agency (NSA) has no compunction about using part of the information that it has collected to improve the international competitiveness or American companies or to boost their profits. To put things bluntly, the electronic interception system that had targeted the Soviet bloc now observes the whole world and, among other things, is giving a serious boost to American industry, which is worried at its loss of leadership in aerospace.
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