France: ARDOISE a new software for the police!

By Patrice De L’isle

The French police databases and the Minister Alliot-Marie, caused a new scandal: the software named ARDOISE (slate) “Application de recueil de la documentation opérationnelle et d’informations statistiques sur les enquêtes”, though its sophisticated and meaningless name, is to be used by the police to collect informations about almost anyone they want, involved closely or not in its investigations, whether victims, witnesses or prevented . It is of course connected to another file called STIC (no need to explain that other acronym with no sense), another database already running. We must notice that France, is the only European country that has such a parallel police, since Napoleon Bonaparte!

For several weeks, the Collective against homophobia (CCH) received many testimonies of police officers, about misuses of that “ARDOISE”: the software contains a topic “State of the person”, in which policemen are required to specify whether their interlocutor is “gay”, “transsexual”, “disabled”, “no fixed abode “” Person involved in prostitution “,” transvestite “,” normal relationship with a prostitute, “people with psychological disorders”, “drug user”, “Standing union,”… according to what said the Collective.

The National Union of Police Officers also claim that they are shocked by this software, which use is just unacceptable according to the idea of democracy .
Of course the Interior Minister, pretends that misuse “would be a professional fault”…fancy!

Somehow weird in a country who always proclaims to be the birthplace of democracy!!!
Such an opposition turned that thing into a failure. But the Interior Minister Alliot-Marie, seems to have a problem with gays! In deed, she has got a new filesystem called EDVIGE (Exploitation Documentaire et Valorisation de l’Information Générale)…still a long acronym to say few: “we will put you on files!”.
Indeed, by the decree of July 2008 1st, the Government has granted itself the right to form a new police database they called “EDVIGE.” This includes the ability to record personal data on sexual orientation and health state of any individual, but also its political ideas, trade union memberships , religious practices, and that from the age of 13 years old, from the moment they decide that one is”disturbing public order”. Thus, for the Government and Michèle Alliot-Marie, Minister of Interior, homosexuality and health problems like AIDS are potentialy “disturbing public order”.