A-Infos (en) France, OCL CA #337 - Big Brother 337 (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

At the beginning of May, Médiapart revealed that certain judicial courts 
had created wild files of people placed in police custody after being 
arrested during major demonstrations against pension reform. One of 
these files was declared illegal by the Lille administrative court, 
which ordered its destruction on May 19. ---- But at the same time, the 
Ministry of Justice was working on the implementation of a new, more 
sophisticated tool which is beginning to be implemented, and which is 
even more worrying for defenders of freedoms. This is the "computerized 
system for monitoring priority penal policies" (SISPoPP). Automated 
processing of personal data, which several organizations are already 
calling for to be banned. This is how the Magistrates' Union (SM), the 
French Lawyers' Union (SAF), the Human Rights League (LDH), the CGT, 
Solidaires, La Quadrature du Net and SOS Homophobia have, on December 
11, filed a request with the Council of State against the decree 
authorizing this file.
Already launched in a few courts, this computer file must be gradually 
implemented in each judicial court and within each court of appeal. It 
is supposed to allow magistrates from different centers to share data, 
and to avoid working in silos (siloed operation where services work in 
isolation without interaction between them or sharing of information).
But this file could contain very personal information, depending on the 
nature of the offenses. Depending on the case, "data relating to 
political opinions", "data relating to trade union membership", "data 
concerning the sexual life or sexual orientation of a natural person", 
"data relating to religious beliefs", " health data", "data revealing 
racial or ethnic origin" and "genetic and biometric data" could be 
compiled, according to the annexes to the decree of October 10 
authorizing the SISPoPP.
For organizations requesting its cancellation, this giant file does not 
present sufficient confidentiality guarantees, not to mention the 
impressive list of people who can have access to it.
Note that the National Commission for Information Technology and 
Liberties (Cnil) gave the green light to the project because it seemed 
to be reassured by the fact that the file would be filled in and 
controlled by magistrates! To follow the decision of the Council of State.
Source: mediapart.fr

All travelers are subject to the 70,000 cameras installed by SNCF in 
France: 17,000 in stations and 45,000 on board trains.
During the Olympic Games, in addition to the gaze of these digital eyes, 
citizens frequenting station halls may be subject to video surveillance 
algorithms. The "Olympic Games" law of May 19, 2023 set a framework for 
the experimentation of this previously illegal software. Until March 
2025, during sporting and cultural events - including the Olympics - the 
police, the gendarmerie, but also the SNCF security services can couple 
this Artificial Intelligence with cameras to identify the presence of 
abandoned objects, a crowd movement or the carrying of a weapon.
Systems that the railway group knows well. Indeed, between 2017 and 
2021, with the agreement of the National Commission for Information 
Technology and Liberties (Cnil), it has already tested 19 algorithmic 
video surveillance software in real conditions on citizens using its 
stations. Projects carried out with the largest multinationals in the 
sector such as Thales and Atos, the French SMEs Aquilae and XXII or the 
foreign companies Anyvision and Briefcam. Of these nineteen tests, ten 
obtained a performance level judged below 50% by the SNCF.
Initially, the SNCF even wanted to test an illegal technology, facial 
recognition, to identify behavior. But it did not obtain an exemption 
from the CNIL, which recalled the intrusive side of this biometric 
technology. Eager to carry out its project successfully, the SNCF 
therefore turned to the algorithmic video surveillance software of 
Anyvision (Israeli firm), because, according to it, it does not examine 
biometric data - the face of an individual - but other characteristics 
appear non-biometric, such as gait or clothing!
Moreover, according to Amnesty International, "there is a real debate on 
whether or not these algorithmic video surveillance technologies are 
biometric. A walk or a piece of clothing is an element that allows you 
to concretely identify someone. It is therefore biometric data.»

The name of the chosen partner also raises questions. The Anyvision 
company is known for its links with the Israeli military world. In 2020, 
its president is Amir Kain, former head of the security department at 
the Israeli Ministry of Defense. Tamir Pardo, one of his advisers, is a 
former head of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency. The same year, 
Microsoft even decided to sell its shares in the company, following the 
publication of an NBC News investigation which highlighted the company's 
role in a surveillance program in the West Bank. But that did not 
dissuade the SNCF from carrying out an experiment with the company. In 
2017, SNCF tested investigation assistance software from another firm 
born in Israel, Briefcam. A few weeks ago, the Caen administrative court 
ruled that the use of this software by the community of communes of 
Deauville "infringed on serious and manifestly illegal respect for 
private life", according to the terms of the decision. The same year, 
SNCF also tested an "abnormality" detection solution from French giant 
Thales. Software with vague usage, whose algorithms, coupled with video 
surveillance cameras, could detect citizens adopting "dangerous 
behavior" in stations. Asked about the nature of these behaviors, Thales 
refuses to go into detail, out of concern for confidentiality...
"These tools whose role and use are defined by vague terms are 
particularly dangerous," reacts Noémie Levain, lawyer within the 
association for the defense of digital freedoms La Quadrature du Net. 
This means that the SNCF delegates the definition of abnormal behavior 
of a citizen at the station to an algorithm, which is further developed 
by companies mostly from the military industry, whose definition of 
security is necessarily subjective, political and is based on a 
repressive and discriminatory vision.»
Since July 2022, the CNIL has been concerned about the potential 
consequences of the massive development of algorithmic video 
surveillance tools. "An uncontrolled generalization of these devices, 
which are by nature intrusive, would lead to a risk of widespread 
surveillance and analysis in public spaces likely to modify, in 
response, the behavior of people circulating in the street or going to 
stores», notes the administrative authority.
However, a few weeks after the publication of the CNIL's questions, on 
the night of October 20 to 21, 2022, the SNCF carried out three new 
algorithmic video surveillance experiments. One was intended to identify 
the wrong entry of an individual or their crossing of a prohibited zone, 
the second a person falling to the ground and the last the carrying of a 
weapon.
However, to date, we can affirm that this algorithmic video 
surveillance, dangerous in itself, has not proven any effectiveness 
other than counting a flow of people or spotting an individual in a 
prohibited area.
Source: mediapart.fr

In a press release, the Constitutional Council considered that the 
allocation of regulated savings (Livret A, LDDS, etc.) to the financing 
of the defense industry had no place in a finance law, without however, 
exclude the adoption of such a measure in another text. "The censorship 
of these various provisions does not prejudge the conformity of their 
content with other constitutional requirements. It is open to the 
legislator, if he deems it useful, to adopt such measures again" by a 
vector other than a finance law, concludes the Constitutional Council. 
According to the Caisse des Dépôts, the cumulative outstanding amount of 
Livret A and LDDS reached 550.4 billion euros as of August 31 (including 
400 billion for Livret A alone). An unprecedented windfall, driven in 
particular by the interest rate on these two savings accounts (3%) which 
was frozen until January 31, 2025.
Source: Capital with AFP

On March 23, 2019, Geneviève Legay, 73, was seriously injured in Nice 
during a Yellow Vest demonstration. Macron, Estrosi and the public 
prosecutor rush to exonerate the police officers: Geneviève Legay must 
have tripped; or being knocked down by a journalist...
Ms. Legay will file a complaint and on Thursday January 11, 2022, in an 
extremely rare occurrence, it was Commissioner Souchi who ordered the 
police to charge who was judged while the police officer who knocked him 
down was not prosecuted. .

http://oclibertaire.lautre.net/spip.php?article4087
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