Uproar over French traffic fine database
The French Interior Ministry is launching a new database to keep track of car owners who challenge fines. A group of French lawyers say the move is illegal and a violation of the rights of citizens.
Next time you want to challenge a parking ticket in France, think again. You will land up on a special list of "angry car owners" who have protested fines.
The Interior ministry is to create a new database called Ares that will include personal details of car owners such as the name, address, date of birth and even job title.
Rémy Josseaume, president of the lawyers' Automobile Club, says the ministry is going too far in an interview with Le Parisien.
Josseaume says he is adamant he will use "all possible means, including legal, to obtain the repeal of a decision that is not legally acceptable".
In a couple of days the new file will be operational and officials will have access to the personal details of car owners who complain about fines they have received.
French authorities sought however to reassure the public and insisted that they weren’t creating a new police database but a tool to help manage fines.
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