The few voices in France clamoring for a security overhaul were drowned out by the "we are not afraid" slogans of crowds rallying in defense of free speech. Journalists, lawyers and politicians reminded everyone of the excesses of America's Patriot Act. This was not the road France would take.

Yet four months later, on May 5, the lower house of Parliament passed a bill giving the nation's intelligence services sweeping surveillance powers, including the massive collection and analysis of metadata. Next month the bill will go to the Senate, and the measure's sponsors are confident it will become law by July.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, key provisions of the Patriot Act are set to expire by June 1. But the mood is already shifting: On Wednesday, the House approved a bill changing the Patriot Act to prohibit the government's mass collection of Americans' phone records.