French Government Launches AI to Monitor Your Online Activities

Is this related to the rollout of the AI Act, the first legislation regulating the use of AI across EU countries? It remains uncertain at this point. However, what is clear is that the government is now set to monitor our activities on Google. Yes, Matignon will employ AI to closely observe our online searches and social media posts. But what are the intentions behind this surveillance?

According to our sources, the initiative, managed by the Government Information Service (SIG), encompasses monitoring search engines as well as social media platforms.

This decision undeniably raises multiple concerns regarding both privacy protection and public safety.

On its part, the government, through the Prime Minister, claims that this initiative is aimed at better understanding the needs and concerns of citizens.

From my perspective, instead of resorting to AI to monitor every citizen’s online activities in the name of understanding their needs, why not simply conduct a survey? It seems straightforward!

Nevertheless, I digress; I am not here to dictate to the state what actions it should take.

Google, Instagram, and TikTok Under the Watchful Eye of French AI

A budget of 1.26 million euros has been allocated for this surveillance project aimed at tracking the activities of French citizens through intelligent algorithms.

Over a four-year span, this amount exceeds 5 million euros, as the government plans to issue a call for proposals through the SIG to enhance its digital surveillance capabilities.

For context, we have previously encountered a monitoring system that scrutinizes our social media usage.

It’s quite something, isn’t it? Matignon will now monitor your searches on Google, TikTok, or Instagram, leveraging the power of AI, as revealed by @empaquette. The Government Information Service has just launched a new call for proposals aimed at social listening on the internet. pic.twitter.com/QqwiigihNp

— Magali Robin // Média mag (@MagaliRobi51564) October 30, 2024

This time around, the government wishes to delve into our private lives, keeping an eye on everything we do online: from Google searches to activities on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

This expansion in surveillance efforts will be accompanied by increasingly sophisticated AI tools that the state plans to employ.

As a result, nothing will escape government observation. They may even discern the state of mind in which we perform our searches and share our Reels on Instagram.

They could predict potential events and describe the content of the images we post.

Let’s be honest; we all know—at least I do—that this strategy aims to scrutinize public opinion, especially with the upcoming elections anticipated by April 2027.

To achieve this, the government will identify subtle signals that might indicate emerging trends and prioritize them accordingly.

Anticipating Social Crises, Yes! But Not at the Expense of Privacy!

In addition to monitoring our online searches and social media posts, the new AI system the French government plans to adopt will also detect emerging social movements ahead of time.

This can be likened to the Yellow Vests protests in 2018 and the recent demonstrations that took place in Martinique and New Caledonia.

The goal this time is to proactively anticipate such movements to prevent situations from escalating.

To facilitate this, the French government has initiated a call for proposals to identify and detect, using AI, subtle signals, including posts that quickly gain visibility or instances of astroturfing—artificially created movements via fake accounts on social media.

No One Is Exempt from the Rule: A Threat to Fundamental Rights

While the analysis and surveillance will be limited to publicly available information, explicitly excluding private content on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, questions arise regarding the respect for fundamental rights.

The agency has deemed it unnecessary to consult the National Commission for Information Technology and Liberties, arguing that the exploitation of public data falls outside its jurisdiction.

Companies selected at the end of March will certainly have to adhere to the principles of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

In any case, the expansion of digital surveillance and the incorporation of predictive algorithms raise profound ethical questions.

As for the new monitoring system, it could evoke controversies, particularly in the current political climate.

As I mentioned earlier, this political context is marked by the potential for early legislative elections and the looming presidential deadline in 2027.

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