1. Cybercrime & Cybersecurity
1.1. Cybercrime
Cyberattack: La Poste suffered another massive cyberattack on the night of 31 December to 1 January 2026, paralysing its online services (parcel tracking, Digiposte digital safe, La Banque Postale app), just a few days after a similar attack on Christmas Day. (Press release dated 1 January 2026)
Spying: According to a study, approximately eight million users were spied on via free VPN extensions that secretly siphoned off their conversations with AI systems, such as ChatGPT, to sell them to advertisers or third parties, despite their promise to protect privacy. (Study conducted by cybersecurity company KOI on 15 December 2025)
1.2. Cybersecurity
2. Disinformation & Information Warfare
3. Personal Data & Privacy
3.1. Data breaches and incidents
3.2. Penalties and regulations
Data protection: Nexpublica was fined €1,700,000 by the CNIL (French Data Protection Authority) for failing to implement adequate security measures relating to the use of software for managing user relations. (Penalty imposed by the CNIL on 22 December 2025)
Data protection: The French Data Protection Authority (CNIL) has issued a ruling on the use of so-called tourist cameras by local authorities, clarifying the rules to be followed to protect individuals’ privacy. Such cameras should not collect personal data. (Press release dated 5 January 2026)
4. Digital Economy & Competition
Audiovisual: A recent study by the European Audiovisual Observatory explains that the news media sector in Europe has been profoundly transformed by digital technologies, shifting from a traditional model (press and broadcasting) to ecosystems dominated by social media and AI. The report highlights the importance of new European regulatory frameworks and media literacy. (Press release dated 18 December 2025)
5. Artificial Intelligence
5.1. Copyright in the age of AI
5.2. Regulation and supervision
AI: In its ‘flash interference’ #117, the DGSI warns of the risks associated with the use of artificial intelligence in companies, in particular attempts at interference via deepfakes, the exposure of confidential documents, and excessive dependence on AI tools, which can reduce human vigilance and encourage fraud. (Flash Ingérence #117, December 2025)
AI/Mental health: At the end of 2025, China proposed the strictest regulations for AI ‘companions’. The aim is to prohibit any incitement to violence, suicide or emotional dependence by requiring platforms to regularly remind users that they are interacting with a machine, with a view to preventing psychological and social abuse. (Official press release dated 27 December 2025)
AI/Health: A study has highlighted the fact that artificial intelligence is enabling the proliferation of websites offering fake obesity drugs (such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro) using deepfakes, fake health authority logos and misleading promotions. These practices are carried out with the aim of deceiving consumers and pose major health risks. (Study published on 21 November 2025)
6. Intellectual Property & Counterfeiting
6.1. Legal actions and proceedings
Counterfeiting/Parasitism: In a ruling dated 5 November 2025, the Paris Judicial Court convicted the leader of the ‘Les Survivants’ movement for counterfeiting and parasitism after he affixed 10,000 anti-abortion stickers that reproduced the Vélib’ logo without authorisation. The judges ruled that freedom of expression did not justify this infringement of the City of Paris’ copyright, as the message could be disseminated by other means. (Decision of the Paris Judicial Court, No. 23/13625, 5 November 2025)
