It looks like a bad episode of Legendarythe series which takes place within the DGSE, but it is however the reality: the company chosen to identify on social networks the different threats to the country is no longer French.
Indeed, a call for tenders, launched by the Government Information Service (SIG), and affecting all French security agencies (police, gendarmerie, justice, army, quai d’Orsay) has been won by a Canadian company, with an American shareholder. An incomprehensible situation for 66 deputies from all sides, who sent, Thursday, July 3, a letter to Prime Minister François Bayrou in order to say their concern for state security.
Since 2017, it was the French company Visibrain, a nugget of French Tech, which was responsible for monitoring all social networks in order to detect social movements, threats against the state, attacks or extremist movements.
A question of money
In order to put this contract into play, as the rule wants from a certain time, a call for tenders has been launched and it is therefore a foreign company that won it.
The problem is that it is a question of the DGSE, the French secret services, the information of the police and the gendarmerie. A foreign company is given the keywords to monitor what is likely to lead to a drama in the country if the threat is materialized, this is sovereignty.
The other point that worries are the reasons for this victory for the Canadian company. Indeed, it took the market because it is five times cheaper than French company. All experts claim that The contract is not economically viable. Therefore, there is a risk that the service will be poorly done or that the company will go bankrupt. There is also the risk that our ultra-sensitive security data will go across the Atlantic.
Even if nothing proves these dangers, for 66 deputies, it is impossible to run the risk of having to do with manipulations of opinion, fake news not detected on our social networks during the next elections that arrive.
“Inadmissible” for the Secretary of State for Digital
There are two lessons to learn from this situation. Firstly, we may organize Europe’s summits to bring American researchers to France and boast European digital sovereignty, we still end up putting our safety in the hands of foreign powers.
Second, to save on the operating budget of the GIS. This proves that When you are too indebted, you can no longer afford to choose your destiny Despite the political speeches that say the opposite. We buy the cheapest.
The decision of the call for tenders was deemed “unacceptable” by the Secretary of State for Digital, Clara Chappaz, who sees the danger that such a decision will generate. The 66 deputies request that this call for tenders be suspended.
