Belgian police soon to patrol Internet

The Belgian police will soon have the power to "patrol" the Internet in order to gather information, local news sources reported on Friday.

Under the existing procedure, Belgian police are unauthorized to use Facebook or any other social media site to access personal information.

However, the government now wants to establish a clear legal framework so that acquiring information from Internet sources is possible.

Interior Minister Jan Jambon and Justice Minister Koen Geens devised a draft law on the issue, which was favorably received by the committee on the protection of privacy.

The majority of law enforcement techniques today predate the emergence of the Internet and are deemed obsolete, according to the Belgian government. Amendments are urgently needed to fight crime in the cyber realm, it said.