In this video sent to the mailbox of public service agents, Minister Stanislas Guerini defends the government’s project. Opponents denounce inappropriate use of their “personal data”.
“Dear public servants, hello“: it is with these words that begins a video of just over six minutes, which has been controversial for a few days. Inside, the Minister in charge of Transformation and the Public Service, Stanislas Guerini, defends the government’s pension reform project, and explains the changes brought about by the text for civil servants.
Seemingly innocuous, this video nevertheless arouses the ire of certain civil servants, who are annoyed by the sending of this video – described as “government propaganda– directly to the agent’s mailbox. “Already we received your “educational” video on the pension reform on our professional mailbox, but now also on our personal mailbox via the DGFIP?? I file a complaint with the CNIL“, the French policeman in charge of the protection of personal data, thus annoyed an Internet user, on Twitter. “I admit I find it quite shocking that Stanislas Guerini has the DGFIP – which has their email addresses for sending payslips – send public officials a message of pure political communication.“added another.
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The controversy was also fueled by the intervention of trade union organizations opposed to the government’s plan, and which were offended by this practice. “The government uses the personal data of agents of National Education and Higher Education to make propaganda for the pension reform“, thus denounced Sud Education. “Staff have never consented to receive government propaganda on their personal email as is the case today. This maneuver is contrary to the general regulations for the protection of personal data.“(RGPD), added the union, specifying to seize the Cnil “to stop this fraud“.
The Cnil “takes up” complaints
Questioned by journalists, the ministry defends itself, for its part, from any embezzlement. The emails were sent to state civil servants by the General Directorate of Public Finances (DGFIP), which “has the e-mail addresses communicated by public officials (professional and/or personal) in their relations with the administration“, and it was she who was responsible for broadcasting the video, explained the cabinet of Stanislas Guerini. Moreover, the ministry did not have access to the DGFIP contact file, and this procedure has already been used in the past, for example to send a “letter to officers […] on supplementary social protection“. For the minister’s entourage, finally, the video is only a “HR content”, which only aims to inform about the changes to come for the pensions of the agents.
It remains to be seen whether the Cnil will be of the same opinion: on Friday afternoon, the institution announced that it had received “Complaints», and proceed to «checks“. “The CNIL immediately approached the ministry and questioned it about the file(s) used to make this communication. It will check whether the sending of the message has complied with the general principles of protection of personal data and the specific rules set by the legal act creating the file(s) concerned. In particular, it must check whether the sending of the message was in accordance with the purposes of the file that was used.“, she specifies. The administration is not yet deciding on the merits of the case, but it “will take position later“.
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