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Data Protection in the Internet: French Report

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Data Protection in the Internet

Part of the book series: Ius Comparatum - Global Studies in Comparative Law ((GSCL,volume 38))

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Abstract

France’s “Loi informatique et libertés” enacted on 6 January 1978 was among Europe’s earliest pieces of legislation on personal data protection. The latest reform, which was brought by the Act of 20 June 2018, has adapted French law to the GDPR, although the many cross-references create difficulties to their applicability. The Ordinance (Ordonnance) of 12 December 2018 should partly correct these shortcomings. French law has made little use of the leeway provided by the GDPR. Even so, two features specific to French legislation should be pointed out: (i) minors aged 15 years may have access to information society services; and (ii) anyone may leave instructions as to what they wish to become of their data in the event of death. Furthermore, there are some specific rules on security and defence issues.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Act no 78-17 of 6 January 1978 on Information Technology, Data Files and Civil Liberties (LIL), JORF (Journal Officiel de la République Française) 7 January 1978 – corrigendum – JORF 25 January 1978. Consolidated version on: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000000886460. (Accessed 21 September 2018).

  2. 2.

    Act no 2004-801 of 6 August 2004 relative to the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data (Loi relative à la protection des personnes physiques à l’égard des traitements de données à caractère personnel), JORF 7 August 2004.

  3. 3.

    Act no 2016-1321 of 7 October 2016 (Loi pour une République numérique – LRN), JORF 8 October 2016.

  4. 4.

    Act no 2018-493 of 20 June 2018 (Loi relative à la protection des données personnelles), JORF 21 June 2018. Desgens-Pasanau (2018a); Dossier Dalloz IP/IT (2018), p. 458; Debet (2018), p. 907; Viney (2018), p. 366.

  5. 5.

    Decree no 2019-536 of 29 Mai 2019, JORF 30 Mai 2019, No16.

  6. 6.

    Assemblée Nationale, No 490, Draft law relative to the personal data protection: http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/dyn/15/dossiers/alt/donnees_personnelles_protection. (Accessed 21 September 2018). See also: CNIL, Deliberation no 2017-299 of 30 November 2017, CNILTEXT000036195647. Conseil d’État, Opinion of 7 December 2017, no 393836, NOR: JUSC1732261L.

  7. 7.

    Conseil Constitutionnel, Decision no 2018-765 DC of 12 June 2018, JORF 20 June 2018: NOR: CSCL1816349S.

  8. 8.

    Act no 2018-493 of 20 June 2018, JORF 21 June 2018; Dossier (2018).

  9. 9.

    See, for example, a critical article: Martial-Braz (2018), p. 459.

  10. 10.

    Act no 2018-493 of 20 June 2018, Art. 32. Ordinance no 2018-1125 of 12 December 2018, JORF 13 December 2018. See in particular CNIL, Deliberation no 2017-299 of 30 November 2017, CNILTEXT000036195647. See also Fauvarque-Cosson and Maxwell (2018), p. 1034; Martial-Braz (2018), p. 459.

  11. 11.

    Le Gouvernement a fait le choix symbolique de ne pas abroger la loi fondatrice du 6 janvier 1978, Explanatory Note to Act no 2018-493, p. 7.

  12. 12.

    See, for example, Hébert (2018), p. 9.

  13. 13.

    Desgens-Pasanau (2018b), p. 25.

  14. 14.

    Decrees nos 2017-1434, 2017-1435 & 2017-1436 of September 29, 2017, JORF 05 October 2017: entry in force on 1 January 2018 except the Decree no 2017-1435 which came into force on 1 January 2019.

  15. 15.

    Falque-Pierrotin (2013), p. 239; Bourgeois (2017), pp. 15 ff.

  16. 16.

    See for example the baseline methodology in the matter of health: MR-001. Explanatory statement, p. 8.

  17. 17.

    ECJ 19 October 2016, C 582/14, ECLI:EU:C:2016:779.

  18. 18.

    Decision of the first Civil Chamber of Court of Cassation, 3 November 2016, pourvoi no 15-22595, ECLI:FR:CCASS:2016:C101184. Fauchoux et al. (2017), no 333.

  19. 19.

    CNIL, Deliberation no 2016-053 of 1 March 2016: CNILTEXT000032168674.

  20. 20.

    See Martial-Braz (2018), p. 459.

  21. 21.

    Conseil Constitutionnel, Decision no 2012-652 DC of 22 March 2012, no 8. ECLI:FR:CC:2012: 2012.652.DC.

  22. 22.

    For example: Conseil Constitutionnel, Decision no 2012-652 DC of 22 March 2012, no 8 and Decision no 2016-745 DC of 26 January 2017, no 25. NOR: CSCL1702669S.

  23. 23.

    LIL, Article 6.

  24. 24.

    See Bourgeois (2017), no 362.

  25. 25.

    LIL, Article 6 I.

  26. 26.

    Conseil Constitutionnel, Decision no 2018-765 DC of 12 June 2018, JORF 20 June 2018: NOR: CSCL1816349S. Nicolas-Vullierme (2018), https://audeladudroit.fr/algorithme-droits-fondamentaux/. (Accessed 21 September 2018). Rochfeld (2018), p. 474.

  27. 27.

    Nicolas-Vullierme (2018), https://audeladudroit.fr/algorithme-droits-fondamentaux/. (Accessed 21 September 2018).

  28. 28.

    Bossi-Malafosse (2018), pp. 58 ff.

  29. 29.

    Act no 2006-64 of 23 January 2006, JORF 24 January 2006.

  30. 30.

    Act no 2008-696, 15 July 2008, JORF 16 July 2008.

  31. 31.

    Act no 2016-41 of 26 January 2016, JORF 27 January 2016.

  32. 32.

    Website: https://www.cnil.fr/.

  33. 33.

    Bourgeois (2017), No 39.

  34. 34.

    LIL, Article 9. Fauchoux et al. (2017), p. 58 ff.

  35. 35.

    LIL, Article 8.

  36. 36.

    Bourgeois (2017), pp. 22 ff.

  37. 37.

    LIL, Article 19 III.

  38. 38.

    Debet et al. (2015), no 2-10.

  39. 39.

    LIL, Article 8.

  40. 40.

    JORF 7 August 2004, 14063. LIL, Article 22 III. Decree no 2005-1309 of 20 October 2005 (amended by Decree no 2007-451 of 25 March 2017), Article 42 ff.

  41. 41.

    LIL, Article 57. Desgens-Pasanau (2018b), p. 25; Carrera Mariscal (2018), p. 233.

  42. 42.

    https://www.cnil.fr/fr/devenir-delegue-la-protection-des-donnees.

  43. 43.

    https://www.cnil.fr/fr/le-delegue-la-protection-des-donnees-dpo.

  44. 44.

    Fauvarque-Cosson and Maxwell (2018), p. 1033.

  45. 45.

    See Conseil d’État (2014), pp. 274 ff.

  46. 46.

    Debet et al. (2015), pp. 193 ff, see in particular p. 195.

  47. 47.

    CNIL, Deliberation no 2005-047 of 22 March 2005: CNILTEXT000017653290.

  48. 48.

    CNIL, Deliberation no 2005-051 of 30 March 2005. https://www.cnil.fr/sites/default/files/typo/document/projet-codeUFMD.pdf.

  49. 49.

    Conseil d’État (2014).

  50. 50.

    CNIL, Deliberation no 2014-500 of 11 December 2014, JORF 10 January 2015. Fauchoux et al. (2017), no 327.

  51. 51.

    CNIL, Deliberation. No 2017-219 of 13 July 2017, JORF 20 September 2017.

  52. 52.

    Perray (2018), pp. 19 ff.

  53. 53.

    Desgens-Pasanau (2018a), p. 211.

  54. 54.

    Code civil, Article 1125 to Article 1127-4 (since the reform of the law of obligations from 10 February 2016) and CPCE, Article L 100 (electronic registered mail).

  55. 55.

    LIL, Article 1, Article 48 to Article 56.

  56. 56.

    LIL, Article 5 & Article 48.

  57. 57.

    Debet (2018), p. 37.

  58. 58.

    CNIL 23.07.2009, Deliberation no 2009-474 of 23 July 2009, JORF 19 August 2009, Text No 27, NOR: CNIA0900018X.

  59. 59.

    CE 20 November 2013, no 347349 about the Decree no 2011-219 of 25 February 2011.

  60. 60.

    For example: CNIL, Deliberation no 2012-408 of 22 November 2012. Decree no 2013-406 of 16 May 2013, “Outils de recherche de contamination ADN” (ORCA), JORF 18 May 2013, p. 8324.

  61. 61.

    CA Paris 19 June 2008, Juris-Data no 2008-370803.

  62. 62.

    CNIL, Deliberation no 2012-214 of July 19, 2012, Fnac Direct.

  63. 63.

    TGI Paris 3 March 2008, RG no 08/51650, Note 2 be, D. 2008, p. 288, note Manara; Comm., com. électr. 2008, Comm. 58, Lepage.

  64. 64.

    See Debet et al. (2015), p. 298.

  65. 65.

    Debet (2018), p. 39.

  66. 66.

    Debet et al. (2015), p. 304.

  67. 67.

    For example: CA 21 September 2017, no 15/23732.

  68. 68.

    LIL, Articles 64 ff.

  69. 69.

    LIL, Article 80.

  70. 70.

    Code des postes et des communications électroniques (CPCE), Article L 34-5.

  71. 71.

    LIL, Article. 46 & Article 87 ff.

  72. 72.

    Bourgeois (2017), no 413.

  73. 73.

    LIL, Article 45.

  74. 74.

    Charrier (2018), p. 335 ff.

  75. 75.

    LIL, Article 45.

  76. 76.

    LIL, Article 70.

  77. 77.

    LIL, Article 70.

  78. 78.

    LIL, Article 51 II. Foret (2018), p. 350.

  79. 79.

    LIL, Article 45.

  80. 80.

    LIL, Article 70.

  81. 81.

    LIL, Article 56.

  82. 82.

    Foret (2018), p. 350.

  83. 83.

    LIL, Article. 51 I.

  84. 84.

    CNIL: https://www.cnil.fr/fr/le-droit-de-rectification. (Accessed 21 September 2018).

  85. 85.

    LIL, Article 84 ff.

  86. 86.

    LIL, Article 85.

  87. 87.

    LIL, Article 85-I.

  88. 88.

    CNIL, La publicité par voie électronique, October 2016: https://www.cnil.fr/sites/default/files/atoms/files/_commerce-donnees_perso_publicite_electronique.pdf.

  89. 89.

    CNIL, Norme simplifiée no 48: adopted in 2005, modified in 2012 and 2016: Deliberation no 2016-264 of 21 July 2016: CNILTEXT000026268805. See Debet et al. (2015), pp. 938 ff.

  90. 90.

    LIL, Article 5 & Article 6.

  91. 91.

    CNIL, Decision of 21 September 2011: https://www.cnil.fr/sites/default/files/typo/document/D2011-203_Pages_Jaunes.pdf. (Accessed on 21 September 2018).

  92. 92.

    See Bretonneau (2015), p. 1112.

  93. 93.

    CNIL, Decision No MED 2018-043 of 8 October 2018.

  94. 94.

    CPCE, Article L 34-5 § 1er.

  95. 95.

    CPCE, Article L 34-5 § 2.

  96. 96.

    CPCE, Article L 34-1-1, § 4.

  97. 97.

    Debet et al. (2015), p. 940.

  98. 98.

    Debet et al. (2015), p. 942.

  99. 99.

    Code civil, Article 9.

  100. 100.

    Code du travail, Article L 1121-1, Article L 1221-9, Article L 1222-3, Article L. 1222-4 and Article L. 2323-32.

  101. 101.

    Code pénal (CP), Article 226-1 ff. and Article 226-16 ff.

  102. 102.

    NS-051: CNIL, Deliberation no 2015-165, 04.06.2015: CNILTEXT000030750827; NS-057: CNIL, Deliberation no 2014-474, 27.11.2014: CNILTEXT000030048118; NS-042: CNIL, Delib. No 02-001, 08.01.2002: CNILTEXT000017653507. NS-046: CNIL, Delib. No 2005-002, 13.01.2005 modifié par Deliberation no 2005-277, 17.11.2005: https://www.cnil.fr/sites/default/files/atoms/files/ns-046-consolidee.pdf.

  103. 103.

    AU-052 - CNIL, Deliberation no 2016-186, 30.06.2016: JORFTEXT000033156742 et AU-053 - CNIL, Delib. No 2016-187, 30.06.2016: JORFTEXT000033156699.

  104. 104.

    LIL, Article 44-4°.

  105. 105.

    Code du travail, Article L.1221-9 and Article L.1224-4.

  106. 106.

    See the factsheets established by the French-CNIL: https://www.cnil.fr/sites/default/files/atoms/files/videosurveillance.pdf. (Accessed 21 Sept. 2018).

  107. 107.

    https://www.cnil.fr/fr/la-cnil-appelle-la-tenue-dun-debat-democratique-sur-les-nouveaux-usages-des-cameras-video. (Accessed 21 Sept. 2018).

  108. 108.

    https://www.cnil.fr/sites/default/files/atoms/files/travail-vie_privee.pdf.

  109. 109.

    Cass. Civ., 1, 10 avr. 2013, pourvoi no 11-19.530.

  110. 110.

    Bourgeois (2017), pp. 376 ff.

  111. 111.

    Bourgeois (2017), p. 377.

  112. 112.

    LIL, Article 112ff.

  113. 113.

    CNIL, Deliberation no 2013-378 of December 5, 2013, cookies and others technologies JORFTEXT000028380230.

  114. 114.

    LIL, Article 83 II.

  115. 115.

    Act no 2004-669 of July 9, 2004, JORF 10 July 2004, 12483.

  116. 116.

    LIL, Article 81 ff. Bourgeois (2017), pp. 39 ff.

  117. 117.

    Bourgeois (2017), p. 48.

  118. 118.

    CPCE, Article L 32-18°.

  119. 119.

    CPCE, Article L 32-1°.

  120. 120.

    CPCE, Article L 32-2°.

  121. 121.

    Bourgeois (2017), pp. 139 ff.

  122. 122.

    Bourgeois (2017), pp. 155 ff.

  123. 123.

    Decree no 2017-428 of 28 March 2017 relative to the confidentiality of private electronic correspondence: JORF 30 March 2017.

  124. 124.

    CNIL, Deliberation no SAN-2018-001 of January 8, 2018: CNILTEXT000036403140.

  125. 125.

    LIL, Article 83 I.

  126. 126.

    Codepénal (CP), Article 226-17-1 § 1er.

  127. 127.

    Infringements in the scope of Code de procédure pénale (CPP), Article 706-73 and Article 706-73-1.

  128. 128.

    Act no 2016-731 of 3 June 2016, JORF 4 June 2016.

  129. 129.

    CPP, Article 706-102-1 to Article 706-102-3.

  130. 130.

    CPP, Article 706-96, Article 706-96-1, Article 706-97, Article 706-98, Article 706-98-1, Article 706-99, Article 706-101 and Article 706-101-1 (new articles).

  131. 131.

    CPP, Article 706-95-1 and Article 706-95-2.

  132. 132.

    CPP, Article 706-95-3.

  133. 133.

    Act no 2011-267 of March 14, 2011, JORF 15 March 2011, p. 4582. CPP, Article 706-102-1.

  134. 134.

    CPP, Article 706-102-1 to Article 706-102-3.

  135. 135.

    CPP, Article 706-102-3, §1.

  136. 136.

    CPP, Article 706-95-4.

  137. 137.

    Dourneau-Josette (2016), No 53.

  138. 138.

    CPP, Article 100, §1. Dourneau-Josette (2016).

  139. 139.

    See 21.1.

  140. 140.

    CPP, Article 100-2. Judgement of the Criminal Chamber of the French Supreme Court of 10 May 2012, Appeal No 11-87.328, Bull. crim. No 116.

  141. 141.

    CPP, Articles 74 and 74-1.

  142. 142.

    CPP, Article 80-4.

  143. 143.

    CPP, Article 100-4, §2.

  144. 144.

    CPP, Article 230-45, §3.

  145. 145.

    Crim. 8 November 2011, Bull. crim. No 228.

  146. 146.

    CPP, Article 100-6, §1.

  147. 147.

    CPP, Article 100-6, §2.

  148. 148.

    CPP, Article 230-45, §3.

  149. 149.

    LIL, Article 116.

  150. 150.

    LIL, Article 121.

  151. 151.

    Enderlin (2015).

  152. 152.

    CPP, Article 142-5 to Article 142-13; Article 723-7 to Article 723-13-1 and Article R 57-10 to Article R 57-30-10.

  153. 153.

    CP, Article 132-26-1 to Article 132-26-3 and CP, Article 132-26 will apply as of 24 Mars 2020.

  154. 154.

    CP, Article 131-36-9 to Article 131-36-13.

  155. 155.

    CPP, Article 723-8, §2.

  156. 156.

    NOR: JUSD1317006C. This circular replaces the previous circular of December 23, 2005.

  157. 157.

    Code de la sécurité intérieure (CSI), Article L 228-3.

  158. 158.

    Act no 2017-1510 of 30 October 2017, JORF 31 October 2017.

  159. 159.

    Decree no 2018-167 of 7 March 2018, JORF 9 March 2018, text no 5.

  160. 160.

    CSI, Article L 801-1.

  161. 161.

    Decree no 2018-543 of 29 June 2018, JORF 30 June 2018, text no 2.

  162. 162.

    Act no 2015-1556 of 30 November 2017, JORF 1 December 2015, p. 22185.

  163. 163.

    CSI, Article L 854-1 to Article 854-9.

  164. 164.

    Code de la défense, Article L 2321-3 and Article L 2321-4.

  165. 165.

    LIL, Articles 20 ff; Decree No 2019-536, Article 38 ff.

  166. 166.

    LIL, Article 20 III.

  167. 167.

    LIL, Article 20 III and GDPR, Article 83, §§ 5 & 6.

  168. 168.

    CNIL, Deliberation no SAN-2017-012 of 16 November 2017.

  169. 169.

    Judgement of the Commercial Chamber of the French Supreme Court of 25 June 2013, Appeal No 12-17037.

  170. 170.

    LIL, Article 37.

  171. 171.

    Association “Signal Spam”: www.signal-spam.fr or Service 33700 (www.33700-spam-sms.fr).

  172. 172.

    CP, Articles 323-1 ff.

  173. 173.

    CNIL, Dec. no MED-2017-075 of 27 November 2017.

  174. 174.

    LIL, Article 123.

  175. 175.

    LIL, Article 124.

  176. 176.

    CP, Article 113-2 ff.

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Nicolas-Vullierme, L. (2020). Data Protection in the Internet: French Report. In: Moura Vicente, D., de Vasconcelos Casimiro, S. (eds) Data Protection in the Internet. Ius Comparatum - Global Studies in Comparative Law, vol 38. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28049-9_6

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