Several agents promise to file a complaint with the CNIL, denouncing the practice. For its part, the ministry claims to have remained within the nails of the law.
Public service agents, and in particular from the Directorate General of Public Finances (DGFIP) received a video message from Stanislas Guerini, Minister of Transformation and the Public Service, to promote the pension reform decided by the government .
Problem, if all received it on their professional email last week, others also received it on their personal email on January 26, which did not fail to provoke the anger of agents opposed to this reform . On Twitter, some have also warned that they would file a complaint with the CNIL, the French policeman for personal data.
“There are two problems in my eyes, that the purpose is diverted with a message of a political nature and that it is difficult to understand who is at the origin of the message” annoys with Tech&Co David Libeau, developer in the Function public, who himself received this message.
Indeed, if it is indeed the address of the DGFIP which is at the origin of the email, in this case, the title and the signature of the latter directly evoke the ministry directed by Stanislas Guerini.
The ministry fights back
Contacted by Tech&Co, the ministry categorically defends itself from any illegal action contrary to the general data protection regulations (GDPR). “Agents can transmit their professional or personal address to the DGFIP to receive information on pensions or remuneration, as described in the conditions of use of data” assures one in the entouage of the minister. “Furthermore, in no case did the DGFIP transmit its contact file to the ministry.”
The ministry specifies that these messages sent to personal emails are not new since Amélie de Montchalin – the predecessor of Stanislas Guerini between May 2020 and July 2022 – had already used this method. With the difference that she was in charge during the pandemic where the continuity of the public service had to be ensured.
Message too political?
“The ministry’s response is a bit risky” judge for his part the lawyer in digital law Alexandre Archambault, interviewed by Tech&Co. “It is not because one agrees to transmit his data that it is worth consent for everything and anything.”
“If it was really on operational terms or to ensure the continuity of the public service, it could be understood but here, we are rather on a subject of a political nature and which is not carried by the DGFIP” estimates the lawyer. And this also applies to personal emails as well as professional emails.
