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Bloomberg
French President Emmanuel Macron is planning to give tax authorities the power to harvest data from Facebook, Instagram and other social media to help detect fraud.
The government wants parliament to include an article in the 2020 budget law granting the new powers to officials from the tax and customs administrations. The state will also screen online market places like EBay Inc, Vinted, or Le Bon Coin as part of a trial programme that is slated to run for three years.
“This is not about searching your personal data,†Budget Minister Gerald Darmanin said on LCI television. “This is about some people who are trying to dodge taxes.â€
He said the government
was ready to see the article amended by lawmakers but he hopes it will be maintained.
Macron’s administration is pushing ahead with the plan despite the objections of the national privacy regulator. The Paris-based organisation said that the plan marks a step change in the government’s use of personal data.
“This mechanism presents very particular challenges from the point of view of freedoms, given the impact of the mechanism on privacy and its possible effects on freedom of expression online,†it said.