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Rabat – France’s data protection watchdog is investigating far-right presidential candidate Eric Zemmour for alleged misuse of data during his political campaign, according to news website Midi-Libre.
The National Commission for Information Technology and Civil Liberties (CNIL) will investigate Zemmour for reportedly collecting and harvesting data of internet users without their consent, in particular in relation to a set of emails he sent to a group French-Jews in the country.
France prohibits collecting data about people that disclose – without their consent – “the alleged racial or ethnic origins, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership.”
But Zemmour sent emails to a group of people listed in a database as French-Jews, without permission to have or use the information, according to BFMTV journalist Raphael Grably.
A tweet by Grably on April 8 revealed text messages sent using Eric Zemmour’s name to members of the Jewish community in France, just before Saturday.
The text says the following:
“Hello, I wrote a text for you:
Will we be able to live in peace for a long time in France?
Read it on EZ2022.fr
Your children are counting on you!
Eric Zemmour”
Political canvassing is the systematic initiation of direct contact with individuals, commonly used during political campaigns. Canvassing can be done for many reasons, including political campaigning, fundraising, and community awareness.
The Commission have confirmed that they approached Zemmour regarding his actions, according to Libre-Midi
The CNIL also noted the possibility of charging Zemmour with the illegal harvesting of email data during December 2021.
Although he was not a candidate at the time, Zemmour collected the personal data of many citizens through surveys, without their permission.
Read also: French Voters in Morocco Back Melenchon, Macron Reject Zemmour, Le Pen
The first round of the French presidential elections saw Emmanuel Macron taking the lead. He will face off against Marie Le Pen during the second round.
According to preliminary results from France’s Interior Minister, Melenchon received the most votes from French voters in Morocco (40.24%), while Macron came in second with 37.88%.
