France drops security database over privacy fears
Criticized for ignoring serious privacy concerns, the French government scraps — for now — the implementation of massive data base; data base was to include information about French men and women as young as 13 years of age and include information on people’s health and sexual orientation
The French government has scrapped a security database that could have tracked anyone deemed a possible threat after protests by privacy crusaders (see 11 September 2008 HS Daily Wire). A decree by the prime minister says the database, called Edvige, has been withdrawn. The decree was published Thursday. Critics were outraged that the database could have tracked minors as young as 13 and gathered information on people’s health and sexual orientation. Defenders say it was needed to find criminals. President Nicolas Sarkozy intervened, ordering the government to reconsider its scope. A more modest database with a different name is expected to take its place.
