Google, Facebook, eBay, DailyMotion, PriceMinister and others are a part of more than 20 major internet firms who are taking action against a recent decree by the French government which would force a range of web sites to keep a host and store of personal data on customers for at least 1 year. Giving the “police, the fraud office, customs, tax and social security bodies” access to this personal information at the click of a mouse. The law specifically and very broadly aims at a “range of e-commerce sites, video and music services and webmail providers to keep a host of data on customers.” reports LeMonde.fr.
The French Association of Internet Community Services (ASIC) has brought the legal challenge on behalf of the concerned firms before the State Council, France’s highest judicial body with the aim of having the law cancelled. ASIC head Benoit Tabaka called the law “unnecessarily draconian”, explaining that “several elements are problematic”. He elaborated, “there was no consultation with the European Commission. Our companies are based in several European countries. Our activities target many national markets, so it is clear that we need a common approach”. ASIC also warned that passwords should not be collected and issued a serious warning on the security implications of such an act. “This is a shocking measure,” said Mr Tabaka.
Operation Reality will obviously be following this case very closely and we will do our best to keep all our visitors and members up to date with any progress or developments as this type of law affects us all. We are essentially in agreement with ASIC and the challenging parties that this law does seem rather poorly thought out and excessively severe. We also agree that from a technical implementation perspective, it would introduce unnecessary new security and privacy issues to the detriment of all consumers and users.
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