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Thought YOU'd had rude service in France? Ce n'était RIEN, M'sieu Pantalons Malodorants

Shoppers dubbed 'mad' 'bitch' etc by guys technologique

France’s data protection authority, CNIL, has put nationwide tech appliance store, Boulanger, on notice following the discovery of some less than flattering records on customers.

After receiving a complaint CNIL carried out raids on the company, which employs around 8000 people, earlier this year. According to CNIL these audits identified several breaches of the Data Protection regulations - namely company files on customers describing them variously as “a bitch”, “brainless”, “mad” and “alcoholic”.

The store, which sells online as well as in physical shops, had an invoicing system that allowed employees to add comments about the customers. As well as the assorted slurs and insults are more bizarre notes including the information that a customer “had a herniated disc operation 3 months ago”. Some notes included potentially racist information such as “Jewish” and “strong African accent”.

CNIL obviously took exception to the storage of such comments, pointing out that, by law, data storage “must be objective and in relation to commercial service”. It added that while “free comment zones” are not prohibited per se, it should not “harm the person's image”.

“It is for companies that have customer files comprising such comment fields to take all measures to ensure that their employees actually observe these rules,” continues the statement (pdf).

CNIL has given Boulanger three months to sort out their system and ensure that their records “no longer contain excessive comments, for example by setting up an automatic detection system”. If the company does not rectify the situation by then, it could face a fine: until then CNIL hopes the public loss of face will be sufficient. ®

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