Vitalis, Andre --- "France" [2008] ELECD 400; in Rule, B. James (ed), "Global Privacy Protection" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2008)

Book Title: Global Privacy Protection

Editor(s): Rule, B. James

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781848440630

Section: Chapter 4

Section Title: France

Author(s): Vitalis, Andre

Number of pages: 34

Extract:

4. France
Andre Vitalis
The implementation of a system called SAFARI1 in the early 1970s first
brought to light in France the dangers of data processing for individual liber-
ties. Through that system, the Institut national de la statistique (INS) intended
to turn the social security number ­ which was being computerised at the time
­ into an exclusive individual identifier. Adoption of that identifier by the vari-
ous public administrations, together with data matching between their
networks, was to enable the aggregation of all information retained on an indi-
vidual in areas such as schools, the military, health, taxation and employment.
On 21 March 1974, Le Monde sparked things off with an article entitled
SAFARI ou la chasse aux Français,2 which pointed to the threat of compre-
hensive file link-up and data matching. The daily newspaper portrayed an all-
powerful ministère de l'Intérieur,3 akin to Big Brother and which, equipped
with a giant computer, would be able to watch each individual's every move.
The highest officials in the country thus learned first through that article,
published in a greatly respected newspaper, about the existence of a system
which, under the pretext of a technical modernisation, would drastically trans-
form individual data processing. The secrecy surrounding the operation gave
credit to the most alarming hypotheses and fuelled public concern. By drama-
tising the situation, the press revealed to the public the dangers of file comput-
erisation, a question that had so far been confined ...