Point de Contact is worried about its survival: the association, which has specialized for more than 25 years in reporting illegal content online, could find itself in liquidation on February 29.
The organization lacks money to operate. During its last general meeting on February 20, it tried to obtain an exceptional contribution from its members. “To ensure the minimum functioning of the association over the year 2024, we estimated that we needed a contribution of 95,000 euros from our members” explains Jean Christophe Le Toquin, president of the structure, to ZDNET.
Last chance contribution
Three of the main members – Google, Meta and Tiktok – refused to get involved again, mentions l’Informed. While TikTok said it was in favor of the plan, Meta chose to abstain from voting and Google voted against. And all three refuse to pay the exceptional contribution;
“We left the general assembly with a promise of contribution of 54,000 euros from the other members. If Tiktok, Google and Méta had made their contribution, then the problem would have been resolved. But this is not the case , and we are now turning to the public authorities” summarizes Jean Christophe Le Toquin.
Asked about the reasons for its refusal, Google explained to ZDNET that it was “not in favor, under current conditions, of paying an exceptional contribution.” The company considers that there is a lack of “clarity as to the purpose of such a contribution” and recalls that “for several years, the successive plans which have been proposed to continue to keep the association alive have only offered short-term solutions. term and have never been of a nature to be able to make it evolve, and make it live in a sustainable manner – particularly in the light of regulatory developments.” Tiktok and Meta did not respond to our questions.
A bad year 2023
In fact, Point de Contact’s financial problems are not recent. But 2023 has made the situation worse. Microsoft, a member since 2005, has left the ship. Above all, public funding has dried up (funds from the European Commission, funds from the French State).
Since 2021, the association has relied in particular on a grant allocated by the Interministerial Committee for the Prevention of Delinquency and Radicalization, which represented a third of its operating budget. But in 2023, the CIDPR did not renew this subsidy, without explanation.
“We tried to contact them but we faced complete radio silence from them” explains Jean Christophe Le Toquin. For context, in 2023, the CIPDR was shaken by the Marianne fund affair which led to the resignation of its leader in June.
Hence the request this year for an exceptional contribution to members.
“I understand that the platforms are firm in their positions. They believe that it is up to the State to finance the reporting service that Point de Contact offers. And I do not want the platforms to be forced to change their minds. There is a lack of vision on the part of the State and an inability to act,” explains the president of the platform.
Missed opportunity
Created in 1998, Point de Contact is one of the oldest associations in France specializing in the analysis and reporting of illegal content on online platforms and services.
Considered a trusted partner, it explained in its 2022 report that it was the first professional reporter to Pharos and had transmitted 9,470 URLs, out of a total of 36,196 reports received. The association collects these reports through its website, but also via the Inhope network which brings together hotlines for reporting child criminal content in around forty countries.
With this history, the organization was quite logically well placed to claim the status of “trusted flagger”, a novelty provided by the European DSA regulation to supervise the associations responsible for reporting illegal content detected online to the authorities.
The European text nevertheless provides that this status can only be granted to organizations independent of any online service provider. This is therefore not the case for Point de Contact, whose funding comes partly from member platforms.