France
Reach the things people in France care about — sports, apps, films, and the internet they share — and learn what's happening for privacy and digital freedom.
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Privacy Pulse
Notable privacy and internet-freedom events from the past four years, most recent first. Tap any entry for more.
Assembly Committee Backs Encryption Shield in 'Resilience' Bill
MPs adopted an amendment (article 16 bis) to the 'Resilience' cybersecurity bill that would bar authorities from requiring encryption providers to build in master keys or other deliberate weaknesses, after the earlier 'Narcotrafic' backdoor proposal was rejected in March 2025. The bill has not been enacted - it remains stalled in the National Assembly, with the encryption clause itself a main point of contention.
VPN Court Order Mandates Sports Domain Blocking
A Paris court ruled that five major VPN providers must block 203 domain names linked to illegal sports livestreaming — France's first VPN-level blocking order.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Arrested in France
French authorities detained Telegram founder Pavel Durov at Le Bourget airport, charging him with complicity in organized crime and CSAM distribution due to the platform's lack of moderation cooperation.
French Parliament Passes 'SREN' Digital Space Law
France adopted the SREN law (Securing and Regulating the Digital Space) on 10 April 2024, introducing age verification for porn sites and new cyber-harassment offences. Before promulgation on 21 May 2024 the Conseil constitutionnel struck down the controversial browser-level 'anti-scam' filter and the online-insult offence.
Justice Law Expands Remote Device Activation
France's 2023-2027 justice programming law let police remotely activate suspects' devices in serious-crime investigations, but the Conseil constitutionnel struck down remote activation of microphones and cameras on 16 November 2023 as a disproportionate intrusion; only remote activation for real-time geolocation survived into the promulgated law.
Viginum Exposes Russian 'Doppelganger' Disinformation
France's Viginum agency publicly exposed the Russian 'Doppelganger' campaign, which impersonated major French and Western news sites to spread disinformation.
Paris Olympics Algorithmic Video Surveillance Law
France legalized the use of AI-powered video surveillance for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the first EU country to authorize real-time algorithmic monitoring of public spaces at scale.
France Bans TikTok and Other Apps on Government Phones
France banned 'recreational' applications including TikTok, Twitter, and Netflix from government employees' work devices, citing cybersecurity and data protection risks.
CNIL Fines Google 150 Million Euros Over Cookies
France's data protection authority CNIL fined Google 150 million euros and Facebook 60 million euros for making it harder to refuse cookies than accept them.
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