#Ethics & Compliance:
“The end of public access to the register of beneficial owners marks a decline in financial transparency”
On 31 July 2024, France closed public access to its register of beneficial owners (RBE). This register made it possible to identify individuals who are beneficial owners of French companies. This register, which identified the individuals behind French companies, was open since 2018 and publicly accessible since 2021, serving as a tool for financial transparency. It helped organizations like Transparency International France uncover real estate in France owned by Russian oligarchs, allegedly funded by illicit sources. This closure follows a 2022 ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which questioned public access to such data, based on privacy rights. The definitive closure follows a formal notice from the CNIL, which prompted by a lawyer complaint. However, under the EU’s sixth anti-money laundering directive, journalists, NGOs, and researchers will still have full access to the register after registering with the French National Institute for Intellectual Property. > Read Article
Meta to pay $1.4 billion to settle Texas facial recognition data lawsuit
The State of Texas accuses Meta of illegally using facial recognition technology to collect biometric data from photos and videos uploaded by users through the now-removed “Tag Suggestions” feature. Under an agreement with Texas, Meta will pay $1.4 billion for violations of the Texas Biometric Privacy Law of 2009. Meta had previously paid $650 million to the state of Illinois for violating that state’s privacy law.> Read article
#Export control:
Airbus faces UK criminal probe over potential export control breach
Airbus is being investigated for alleged export violations involving several UK entities. The investigation was launched by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs agency (HMRC) following an audit by export control authorities in 2022. This decision comes nine months after the U.S. charges for export control violations were dropped. Airbus said it was working with all relevant authorities to comply with export control regulations. >Read article
#Anti-bribery & Corruption:
Anti-bribery: Anticor’s request for approval denied again, the association appeals to the juge des référés
On Friday 26 July 2024, the Anticor association was implicitly denied renewal of its accreditation to intervene in corruption cases. After losing its accreditation in June 2023, due to a ruling handed down by the Paris Administrative Court of Appeal, the association submitted 2 applications to the government to regain its accreditation. Between 2015 and 2023, Anticor was accredited to act as a civil party in criminal proceedings relating corruption cases. The association’s president, Paul Cassia, commented on the matter, deploring the fact that the procedure is not handled by an independent authority: “We request approval from public authorities against whom we have filed a complaint, and with whom we are therefore in conflict. The government administration is then both judge and party”. The association has referred the matter to the juge des référés and a hearing is scheduled for 7 August 2024. > Read article
