Cookies and mobile apps: €7 million fines imposed on FNAC DARTY PARTICIPATIONS ET SERVICES and FNAC DIRECT
In a decision dated 22 October 2026, the French data protection authority (“CNIL”) imposed a fine of 7 million euros on Fnac Darty Participations et Services and Fnac Direct for violating Article 82 of the French Data Protection Act (“Loi Informatique et Libertés”). The CNIL noted that the mobile app installed, without prior consent, a tracker that collected browsing history for personalization purposes. These operations, which were neither intended to facilitate electronic communication nor were strictly necessary for the requested service, did not fall under any of the exemptions provided for in Article 82 of the Act. The companies should therefore have obtained the prior consent of the individuals concerned. An injunction was also issued by the panel, requiring the companies to demonstrate that their new tool complies with regulations, under penalty of a daily fine of 10,000 euros. > Read the article
Anticor joins the investigation concerning Édouard Philippe as a civil party
On 20 October 2026, the anti-corruption association Anticor filed an application to join the criminal proceedings as a civil party in the judicial investigation opened by the French National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (“PNF”) concerning possible breaches of French public procurement rules within the Le Havre Seine Métropole Urban Community. The investigation notably relates to an agreement entered in 2020 with the LH French Tech association, providing for the payment of €2.154 million in public service compensation. Several criminal offences may be examined in the course of the investigation, including favoritism in public procurement (“favoritisme”), illegal conflict of interest (“prise illégale d’intérêts”), misappropriation of public funds (“détournement de fonds publics”), and unlawful exaction of public funds (“concussion”), although Édouard Philippe has not been charged at this stage. Relying on its approved status, Anticor intends to exercise the procedural rights attached to civil party status and to request investigative measures from the investigating magistrate. > Read the article
RN MP José Beaurain under investigation for misappropriation of public funds
Radio France’s investigative unit revealed on 27 October that José Beaurain, the Rassemblement National’s member of parliament for the Aisne, is the subject of an investigation for misappropriation of public funds, opened by the Laon prosecutor’s office following a report received in August. He is suspected of having demanded that his parliamentary assistants pay back half of their bonuses to him in cash, of having made personal purchases with his MP’s allowance, and of having paid his brother through a front person. The RN reportedly selected him as a candidate despite internal warnings. He denies the allegations and has filed a defamation complaint against the newspaper that broke the story. > Read the article
Top UK court reinstates relief against Spain and France in oil spill saga
By a judgment handed down on 29 October 2026, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom upheld the appeal brought by the London Steam-Ship Owners’ Mutual Insurance Association in proceedings against Spain and France arising out of the sinking of the oil tanker Prestige in 2002. The Court held that the obligation incumbent upon the States to submit their claims to arbitration pursuant to the insurance contract was contractual in nature, rather than merely equitable. As a result, a breach of that obligation may give rise to an entitlement to damages under common law. The judgment therefore confirms the conditional damages awarded by the arbitral tribunal while clarifying the compensatory consequences of a State’s failure to comply with an arbitration agreement. > Read article
