ARDOISE, the software that categorized trade unionists, gays, homeless… a dirty smell of dark periods of history

Release

The French law enforcement have a new software information, the name is ARDOISE (Application of Collecting Operational Documentation and Information Statistics on Investigations), in the context file project ARIANE [1] whose aim is to combine the STIC and JUDEX files. This software for inputting information will be used to fill sheets during administrative procedures of the gendarmerie and the police. While testing the software at this time in several police departments without any lawful authority of the CNIL [2], ARDOISE includes criteria to be filled by the officer about the complainant, the witness or the autor of an offence, such as :

- physical attributes “disabled person”, “senior”, “teenager”, “sick”, “alcoholic”…

- more : “psychologically disordered person” or “member of a sect”…

This new type of information comes, of course, in addition to other information provided by the existing files.

As pointed out by Hussein Bourgi, chairman of the Committee against homophobia, based in Montpellier, “the use of this software may give rise to abuses of sinister memory” [3]. Thus the CCH has contacted the HALDE (High Authority for the Fight against Discrimination and for Equality), the CNIL (Computer and Freedom National Commission) and the CNCDH (Nationale Consultative Commission of Human Rights) [4] to suspend “the application of this software which causes disputes and problems.”

The National Union of Police Officers (SNOP), the FLAG (Association of Lesbians and Gay Police), the Alliance union or the UNSA-Police, SOS-Homophobia, the Inter-LGBT, the Forgotten of the Memory, they alerted officials about excesses of the government with the introduction of this software.

The Ministry of Interior has tried to defend ARDOISE, indicating on a April 15, 2008 release, that “This filling of personal data is not automatic. It occurs only when such information has a connection with the case, the nature or the circumstances of the offence (sexual aggression, homophobic aggression, linked to religion, race, physical characteristics…). These data make it possible to characterize the offence and any aggravating circumstances planned by the criminal code, in the interests of victims (abuse of weakness, homophobia, racism, antisemitism…). Exclusively reserved for criminal investigations, these informations are also needed to research and identification of autors. Those relating to the complainant can be destroyed at his request after final conviction of the guilty person”[5]. But for Tetu and FLAG “It is wrong to say that the categories were validated by the CNIL since this validation concerned the old systems for data collection, which included only open fields, filled manually by agents, not as predetermined as it is now the case for ARDOISE”[6].

This day again, with her usual blur speaking, Michèle Alliot-Marie held a press conference to try to resolve the controversy : the ARDOISE software should be “a reflection, with the expertise of the central directorate of the judicial police, to revisit these issues and their possible relevance to the real needs of investigations “[7]. This kind of response is not satisfactory because no clear commitment is made, as usual, it is a simple lie to dispel fears without really hear the voice of citizens.

Every day, it is more and more obvious that the Sarkozy Government is drifting dangerously towards the society of all-security, repression and widespread surveillance of all citizens. The difference is that today, the red line is again crossed cheerfully, without any complex by this republican government severe and unscrupulous regarding the fundamental rights of individuals. Today we collect informations about gays while in 1981, Deferre had put an end to discrimination of this kind (dissolution of the Brigade of the gays police who criminalized homosexuality and ban of gays listing).

It is a return to the darkest hours experienced by Europe in the last century ! Mr Sarkozy takes us straight to a society of discrimination, where we no longer have the right to privacy when surfing (Olivennes’s listings, LCEN…), when you are engaged in enriching the internet content (extension of data retention) when we take the plane (air listings post-11/09), when we are young student at primary school (students file Base), when you are a foreigner (ELOI, SIS files), when you chooses your sexual way of life, whenyou are in the associative life or in defending the rights of employees, when you are homeless, sick, teenager, old… (ARDOISE file system) [8].

With ARDOISE, Nicolas Sarkozy and Michèle Alliot-Marie proves once again the hate they have about differences, their thirst for uniformity, tracing, monitoring and labelling. They manage the country as a cowboy manages a cow grazing land. In addition to this labelling, tomorrow all citizens will own RFID chips [9] as well as livestock, will be streamed live via their mobile phones [10], will be monitored by drones [11], as Australian cowboys monitor their grazing land by helicopter, and take care if there is one out of the livestock, it will be neutralized with a Tazer, this weapon which discharges until 50 000 volts and has already made deaths across the Atlantic [12] … For always more traceability, “product” security, and logistical efficiency. It is unbearable for us to let citizens being considered like boxes of meat !

We therefore ask to Nicolas Sarkozy and Michèle Alliot-Marie to remove the category “State of the person” of the ARDOISE software and to engage themselves to never introduce people labelling criteria which is contrary to respect of privacy and contrary to universal fundamental rights. In addition, we ask the CNIL to defend citizens against abuses related to labelling by the police and enforce fundamental rights.

[ 1 ] The ARIANE project : http://www.neteco.com/66524-ariane-mutualise-les-fichiers-de-police-et-de-gendarmerie.html

[ 2 ] “Mr. Alex Turk, President of the CNIL asks to the Ministry of Interior details on the Ardoise software”
http://www.cnil.fr/index.php?id=2423&news[uid]=538&cHash=48b6de727b

[ 3 ] The CCH release :
http://www.france.qrd.org/actualites/article.php3?id_article=3364

[ 4 ] The CCH informs the HALDE, the CNIL and CNCDH : http://www.citegay.fr/ACTUALITES/GAY/00/00/251326/content_visu.htm

[ 5 ] Ministry of the Interior release :
http://www.interieur.gouv.fr/misill/sections/a_la_une/toute_l_actualite/securite-interieure/logiciel-ariane/view

[ 6 ] Têtu and FLAG:
http://www.tetu.com/rubrique/infos/infos_detail.php?id_news=12800

[ 7 ] Alliot-Marie would like to think…:
http://www.france-info.com/spip.php?article126223&theme=9&sous_theme=11

[ 8] Some of the computerized information files in force or under implementation by France :
Olivennes listing / Sarkozy / Elysées : http://www.odebi.org/new2/?p=460
Extension Project of retention data, February 2008 : http://www.globenet.org/231.Fichage-des-internautes-deux.html
http://www.lesechos.fr/info/hightec/4688710.htm
Students File Base :
http://petition.bigbrotherawards.eu.org/Signez-la-petition-pour-le-retrait-de-Base-eleves
http://www.petitiononline.com/correso/petition.html
ELOI listing : http://souriez.info/Eloi-sans-foi-ni-loi
European SIS listing , the Schengen Information System : http://www.renseignementsgeneraux.net/sis.php

[ 9 ] The world of “Nécrotechnologies” http://www.piecesetmaindoeuvre.com/spip.php?rubrique2

[ 10 ] The mobile facilitate telephone listening by the State intelligence services :
http://bellaciao.org/fr/article.php3?id_article=57234

[ 11 ] ELSA project of Alliot-Marie, for drones to monitor the suburbs:
http://www.france-info.com/spip.php?article19332

[ 12 ] The municipal police equipped with Tazer:
http://www.raidh.org/La-police-municipale-vous-tient-au.html