Intelligence services will have the right to place cameras and recording devices in private dwellings and install “keylogger” devices that record every key stroke on a targeted computer in real time.
Amnesty International and other civil liberties groups were protested against the legislation, warning it would take France “a step closer to a surveillance state”.
France reinforces principle of Secularism
As France was plunged into soul searching by the attack on Charlie Hebdo, one of the conclusions the government came to was that France's principle of secularism needed to be reinforced.
President François Hollande announced that a National Secularism Day would be celebrated in all schools as part of a ten-point plan to combat radicalization by educating young people about the significance of “Laicité” in France.
And France's National Observatory on Secularism has been asked to intervene in numerous disputes in schools since the attacks and not without controversy.
More towns have tried to ban replacements for pork dinners in the name of secularism and one Muslim girl was even sent home from her school because her long, black skirt was deemed to be a “conspicuous” sign of Islam.
French Muslim leaders under pressure
The Charlie Hebdo massacre and the outpouring of anger and grief placed France's Muslim leaders under great pressure.
Many called on them to condemn the attacks but also do more to fight extremists, especially in certain mosques where radicals were considered to have taken over.
More than ever people were asking the question of whether Islam was really compatible with French values.
As a result some Muslim groups and Imams have seized the initiative. The sight of Imams singing the Marseillaise in Place de la Republic after the November attacks was hugely symbolic and a sign they realized they have to act.
This weekend mosques around the country will open their doors to members of the public who are invited in to listen to prayers and meet worshipers.