The digital era has given rise to technology giants that hold unprecedented power over our daily lives. Behind the apparent free nature of services offered by GAFAM (Google, Apple, Facebook/Meta, Amazon and Microsoft) lie troubling stories of privacy violations, manipulation and abuse of power. This report examines real cases where the exploitation of personal data has led to truly alarming situations.
The Facebook-Cambridge Analytica Scandal: Electoral Manipulation at Scale
One of the most striking examples of personal data abuse remains the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal that broke in 2018. This affair reveals how data from 87 million Facebook users was harvested without their knowledge and used to influence voting intentions in various elections, notably in the United States and during the Brexit referendum6.
In early 2014, under the guise of a "scientific study," a startup created by a Cambridge researcher named Aleksandr Kogan obtained special authorization from Facebook to collect data. In just a few months, it illegally "siphoned" between 50 and 60 million Facebook accounts6. This information was then used by Cambridge Analytica to develop a software platform called "Ripon," enabling precise targeting of undecided voters.
Christopher Wylie, the whistleblower in this affair, stated that "without Cambridge Analytica, the 'Leave' camp could not have won the referendum" on Brexit, which was decided by less than 2% of votes6. This massive intrusion into Facebook users' privacy not only influenced democratic processes, but also demonstrated the vulnerability of our personal data in the hands of large technology companies.
The Failure of Regulatory Protections and Big Tech Impunity
A particularly concerning story is the one told by La Quadrature du Net, a digital rights advocacy association. On May 28, 2018, on behalf of 12,000 people, the association filed five complaints with the CNIL (French Data Protection Authority) against GAFAM for non-compliance with the GDPR, which had just come into effect 3 4 8.
Three years later, none of these complaints had resulted in action, which the association describes as a "total failure" resulting "from a multitude of irregularities which, all or almost all, reveal the culpable role of the CNIL in protecting GAFAM against the law"3. This situation demonstrates how technology giants manage to escape legal constraints, even when those constraints are specifically designed to protect citizens4.
The complaints focused on a simple legal argument: the invalidity of consent that GAFAM extract through deception or coercion. They required only a few days to process, yet none resulted in action after three years3. This impunity highlights the difficulty for citizens to obtain justice against digital giants.
Mass Surveillance and Its Consequences
GAFAM have developed a business model based on mass surveillance. As Amnesty International highlighted in a 2019 report, "the disproportionate collection of personal data is incompatible with the right to privacy"5. The loss of this fundamental right undermines other essential freedoms: freedom of expression, opinion, thought and the right to non-discrimination5.
These tech giants collect our personal digital data which can "be used for targeted advertising, espionage, sold and analyzed, often by GAFAM themselves"1. The Snowden affair further demonstrated that "GAFAM are sometimes compelled to hand over very private data (Gmail exchanges, Facebook photos, Skype conversations) to government agencies"1.
Digital Sovereignty Under Threat and Cross-Border Data
A major concern involves the transfer of personal data beyond national borders. In Quebec, for example, Bill 25 attempts to address this issue by requiring every Quebec organization to know precisely "where its data goes, who accesses it and for what purposes"7.
These platforms operate according to rules that are not always compatible with local principles of personal information protection. Data -- from customers, employees, operations -- "crosses borders without us always being aware of it. And once hosted outside Quebec, our real control over that data diminishes drastically"7.
This situation is particularly concerning because it leads to a loss of digital sovereignty. By relying heavily on GAFAM, our local businesses may well, despite themselves, "sabotage their own digital sovereignty"7.
Big Tech and the Threat to Democracy
The influence of GAFAM goes well beyond simple data collection. These companies have acquired such power that they represent a threat to democratic institutions. Barack Obama himself accused major platforms of having broadly amplified "humanity's worst instincts," calling for their regulation14.
The former American president emphasized that "one of the major causes of the weakening of democracies lies in the profound change in the way we communicate and inform ourselves"14. This power of influence is all the more concerning given that GAFAM pursue vertical integration across the internet market, extending from their core businesses to content, applications, social media, search engines and telecommunications infrastructure5.
The Risk of False Accusations in the Age of Big Data
Although the search results do not directly present cases of false criminal accusations linked to GAFAM, the risk is very real. In a world where algorithms determine what is "probable" rather than "possible" 5, errors can have dramatic consequences.
Algorithms designed by GAFAM can inadvertently influence various spheres, including the legal and judicial worlds5. In this context, a person could easily find themselves the victim of false accusations based on erroneous or biased algorithmic correlations, without having the means to defend themselves effectively.
Conclusion: A Collective Awareness Is Needed
Faced with these real horror stories involving GAFAM, a collective awareness is essential. As Alain Saulnier points out in his essay, these digital giants represent "a cross-cutting threat against which we find ourselves in a situation of dependency" -- a dependency that has only intensified with the COVID-19 pandemic18.
It is essential that our governments update the regulatory conditions under which we allow these companies to operate. This means recognizing GAFAM for what they truly are: entities whose power sometimes surpasses that of states, and which require strict oversight to protect citizens' rights and freedoms18.
The question today is no longer simply about data protection, but about preserving our digital sovereignty and, by extension, our democratic sovereignty. The stakes are high, and they require unprecedented mobilization from citizens, organizations and states.
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