For the Force Ouvrière confederation, the Ministry of the Public Service has “diverted the purpose” of the use of the e-mail addresses of citizens for the purposes of “political propaganda”.
Several public service unions, including the CGT, FO and Unsa, denounced on Friday the sending of an email to the personal address of “all” public officials to defend the disputed pension reform project. .
The email, sent by the Directorate General of Public Finance (DGFIP), consists of a message from the Minister of Transformation and Public Service Stanislas Guerini to the agents.
It contains a link to a video of about six minutes where it presents the measures of the reform, in particular those concerning civil servants.
“In the video, Stanislas Guerini speaks directly to the agents and explains the reform as if it had already been adopted as it is in Parliament”, testified to AFP Céline Verzeletti, co-secretary general of the federal union of CGT state unions.
The Cnil will take a position “later”
The email was sent to the private address that the agents “provide for their tax declaration” and not to “their business address”, according to Unsa public service.
For the Force Ouvrière (FO) confederation, the Ministry of Public Service has “diverted the purpose” of using the e-mail addresses of citizens for the purposes of “political propaganda”.
FO declares having “immediately” seized the National Commission for Computing and Liberties (CNIL) in order to “enforce the protection of the personal data of all agents”.
The privacy watchdog said it is doing some checks. “At this stage of the investigation, the CNIL is therefore not yet in a position to comment on the conformity of the use of personal data which has been made. It will take a position later”, she indicated in a statement.
Contacted by Tech&Co, the ministry categorically defends itself from any illegal action contrary to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
“Not a novelty”
“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.
The ministry assured AFP that “no contact file transmission has (was) made” between the DGFIP, which has the e-mail addresses communicated by public officials (professional and / or personal) for information on payroll in particular, and the ministry.
