We are being heard
At a time when France has just passed the highly controversial Intelligence Law, when hacking, tracking, and cyber-surveillance are central issues in public debate, and when Edward Snowden’s revelations have shaken the world, the questions raised by these two films have become unavoidable.
Are we all potential suspects to be monitored? Will we have to give up our presumption of innocence for security that everyone knows can never be absolute? How can we control intelligence services without preventing them from working efficiently? And are we ready to protect our own whistleblowers in the face of the growing pressures from an increasingly powerful surveillance state?
Type (Documentaire / Documentaire fiction / Série documentaire)DocumentaryGenre en anglaisCurrent Affairs Directed by Pierre-Olivier François EditingStéphanie Dréan, Stéphanie Bisutti SonSébastien Guisset In coproduction with France 2 / PBS-Frontline / WGBH-NOVASupported by CNCYear2015Duration2x52min
Cyberwar, the ultimate weapon
Spying, defending, attacking. Troops, tanks, planes, nuclear weapons. Until now, the rules of war seemed well-known. But in recent years, everything has started to change. After Air, Land, and Naval forces, the term Cyber now refers, in military jargon, to the fourth army.
By investigating in the United States, France, Brazil, Germany, and at the UN, within the heart of the NSA and the DGSE, the American and French armies, alongside cybersecurity researchers, secret military labs, and governments, the film asks the question: Is cyberwar the ultimate weapon of the future or a new Pandora’s box?
The secret history of the NSA
Deadly attacks that traumatize a nation. A political class that decides to wage war on terrorism. Emergency laws passed to allow security services to track suspects by any means – human and electronic, legal and illegal.
These events have already been experienced. Not only in France in early January 2015, but in several Western countries. And most notably in the United States, where it gave birth to the largest surveillance operation of all time, orchestrated by the highly secretive NSA, the American National Security Agency.
To find the terrorist needle in the haystack, the NSA decided to monitor the entire haystack. But when everyone is a suspect, there is no more presumption of innocence.
Press Coverage
The documentary reveals how the internet has revolutionized surveillance
Le Figaro
By giving a voice to top officials from French and American intelligence services, Pierre-Olivier François delivers two insightful and alarming films.
L'Humanité
A must-see.
Télérama
Both fascinating and unsettling.
Télé 2 Semaines
In two documentaries, Pierre-Olivier François examines a new threat—cyberwarfare—with the American NSA at its forefront.
Les Inrockuptibles
Other works by Pierre-Olivier François
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