The Local France

France could fine Apple €1m unless it hacks smartphones

Mon, 29 Feb 2016 15:06:20 +0100

France will consider a law that would impose fines of €1 million on Apple and Google if they refused to hack into smartphones belonging to terrorists.

'French Snowdens' to get protection under law

Fri, 17 Apr 2015 13:48:56 +0200

French MPs have voted through a new amendment to the controversial surveillance bill, which would allow whistleblower spies to be protected by law.

France unveils spying rules after terror attacks

Thu, 19 Mar 2015 16:29:58 +0100

France has never faced so great a terrorist threat, its prime minister said Thursday, as he unveiled controversial new laws allowing spies to hoover up phone and Internet data from suspected jihadists.

French far-right boss sues mag that outed him

Thu, 18 Dec 2014 18:56:00 +0100

Florian Philippot, one of the top members of France’s far-right party the National Front, is suing gossip magazine Closer for outing him as gay, demanding €50,000 in damages for the front-page splash of him and his alleged partner.

Why France must fight US internet giants

Fri, 28 Mar 2014 16:44:00 +0100

After a French consumer watchdog said it was suing Twitter, Facebook and Google over alleged "abusive" privacy practices, The Local talked to the group’s lawyer who, perhaps not surprisingly, said a clash of Anglo and French cultures was at the heart of the rift.

RECAP: Hollande faces media after affair claims

Tue, 14 Jan 2014 16:55:00 +0100

French President François Hollande faced the media pack for the first time on Tuesday since news of his alleged affair with a French actress made headlines around the world. He's a recap of the main points from the press conference.

Trierweiler wants urgent 'clarification' over affair

Mon, 13 Jan 2014 19:32:00 +0100

French President François Hollande is under pressure to clarify his relationship to Valérie Trierweiler, who reportedly told a French journalist that she wants her status as the unofficial first lady to be cleared up. Hollande's security chief was also in hot water on Monday.

Hollande affair claims: 'France won't punish him'

Fri, 10 Jan 2014 12:50:00 +0100

Claims from Closer magazine that President François Hollande is having an affair with an actress, will not undermine his flagging presidency, a French political analyst told The Local on Friday, but the revelations are a sign of a changing France he says.

Google fined €150,000 in French privacy row

Wed, 08 Jan 2014 19:13:00 +0100

The running battle between Google and French privacy watchdogs culminated Friday with the web giant being fined €150,000. The penalty was a response to Google's practices for handling user data.

'The world needs to know what France is up to'

Tue, 10 Dec 2013 13:36:00 +0100

After blasting the US in the wake of the NSA spying revelations, the last thing you would expect France to do is rush through a reform that opens the way for widespread surveillance of its citizens. A French digital rights group tells The Local why we should all be alarmed.

Uproar over French plan to extend online spying

Tue, 26 Nov 2013 17:48:00 +0100

Google and other internet giants have reacted angrily to the French government’s plans to extend its surveillance of emails, phone calls and online behaviour, as the National Assembly met on Tuesday to discuss the proposal.

France orders Google to block Mosley orgy photos

Thu, 07 Nov 2013 09:25:00 +0100

In a landmark ruling, a French court has demanded that Google filter out links leading to images of an allegedly Nazi-themed sadomasochistic orgy involving British former Formula One racing mogul Max Mosley.

French agency demands EU probe into US spying

Mon, 19 Aug 2013 19:20:00 +0200

France's data protection agency demanded on Monday that the EU investigate US spying revealed by whistle-blower Edward Snowden. The CNIL agency claimed EU laws had been "possibly breached" by electronic surveillance conducted by the NSA.

France threatens to fine Google over privacy

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 13:48:00 +0200

France's national data protection agency on Thursday threatened to hit Google with a fine of up to €150,000, unless the US internet giant brought its privacy policies in line with French law within three months.

France takes on Google over privacy laws

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:59:00 +0200

BREAKING: Authorities in France, along with five other European countries, have taken steps to force US internet giant Google to comply with EU privacy rules, France's CNIL data protection agency said on Tuesday.

EU agencies to tackle Google over privacy laws

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 15:15:37 +0100

European data protection agencies intend to take action against the US Internet giant Google after it failed to follow their orders to comply with EU privacy laws, the French agency at the head of the fight said on Monday.

Are politicians' secrets no longer safe in France?

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:28:00 +0100

The DSK affair and recent furore over the comments by presidents Sarkozy and Obama about Israel's prime minister, raises the question of whether the culture of discretion regarding the privacy of politicians in France is being eroded.

France to probe Apple tracking feature

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:07:32 +0200

France's technology watchdog said Wednesday it is investigating an iPhone feature that tracks and stores data on its user's movements, without the user's knowledge or consent.