The CNIL is an independent administrative authority created in 1978. It is responsible for ensuring that information technology (IT) serves the citizens and that it does not infringe on their human rights, identity, privacy, civil and individual liberties.
The CNIL is the regulator of personal data in the digital world. It assists professionals in complying with their obligations and helps individuals to control their personal data and exercise their rights.
How can it help you?
If you believe that your right to personal data protection has been violated, you can contact the CNIL to complain about this violation.
These complaints can concern:
- Online reputation (requests to remove content from the internet)
- Advertising (opposition to receiving advertising emails)
- Human resources (opposition to video surveillance, geolocation of vehicles)
- Banking and credit (contesting your registration in the files of the French bank)
Once they have received your complaint, the CNIL will investigate the alleged violation. If the investigation confirms that your rights have been violated, the CNIL has several means of action:
- It can first remind the author of the violation of its legal obligations
- It can order the author of the violation to rectify or delete the data or ensure that your rights are not violated by any other means, by giving out a formal notice
- It can impose sanctions on the author of the violation (such as a fine for example)
- It can communicate publicly about the violation.
Activities
- Information: the CNIL carries out actions of communication with the general public and professionals to inform them of their rights and obligations.
- Compliance support and guidance: the CNIL offers a toolbox to private and public organisations to help them comply with the law and rights of individuals.
- Anticipation and innovation: the CNIL contributes to the development of technological solutions that protect privacy by advising companies as early as possible in the process
- Investigation and sanctions: the CNIL can monitor data controllers and in case of non-compliance with the law, it can require them to regularize its processing (through a formal notice) or impose sanctions
- Development of draft legislation and recommendations aimed at raising the efficiency of personal data protection
More information and Contacts
Website: https://www.cnil.fr/
Online complaint form: https://www.cnil.fr/fr/adresser-une-plainte
Phone number: +33 1 53 73 22 22
If you want to contact them by post:
Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés
3 Place de Fontenoy
TSA 80715
75334 Paris Cedex 07
France