Benjamin Griveaux, May 8, 2017 in Paris - LaurentVu / SIPA

"All the power of social networks", "destructive speed of the Internet", "deviance from anonymity" ... Benjamin Griveaux, the candidate invested by LREM abruptly withdrew from the race for mayor of Paris on Friday after the broadcast in line from a sexual video featuring him. Many political figures, who condemned this invasion of privacy, today point the finger at the perverse effects of the Internet, and consider that the candidate is a victim of "impunity" which reigns on social networks.

Even though the intimate videos of the ex-candidate for mayor of Paris were posted on a website [since deleted] and openly claimed by the controversial Russian activist Piotr Pavlenski, voices quickly rose to demand again the end of anonymity on social networks.

"Anonymity condones slander, defamation"

The President of the Senate, Gérard Larcher (Les Républicains), was one of the first to call for "regulation" of social networks. “It is high time to regulate the torrents of mud that pour out on social networks. Freedom of expression must stop at the boundaries of privacy that every citizen has the right to demand, ”he tweeted.

#Griveaux it is high time to regulate the torrents of mud which pour out on the social networks. Freedom of expression must stop at the boundaries of privacy which every citizen is entitled to demand.

- Gérard Larcher (@gerard_larcher) February 14, 2020

LREM member of the Rhône, Bruno Bonnell, also advocates an "obligation of transparency" on social networks. “The Internet, like the greatest inventions of progress, carries its deviances that anonymity condones like slander or defamation. Let us make France the country of the requirement and the obligation of transparency of the sources and punish the abuses ”, he tweeted.

The Internet, like the greatest inventions of progress, carries its deviances that anonymity condones like slander or defamation. Let us make France the country of the requirement and the obligation of transparency of the sources and punish the abuses. https://t.co/R9lyMz97EV

- Bruno Bonnell (@BrunoBonnellOff) February 14, 2020

Same story with the Republicans. LR deputy from Paris Claude Goasguen also asked for more control. "We are at the edge of a situation that we do not dominate, that we will have to dominate," said the MP on LCP.

"The end of anonymity is a bad fight, dangerous and probably futile," says Cédric O

An initiative that obviously does not share Cédric O, the Secretary of State for Digital. “The current crisis, like others, questions the respect for the rule of law in a digital world. We need collective reflection on this subject. But the end of anonymity (which is often only pseudonymity) is a bad fight, dangerous and probably futile, "the minister tweeted on Saturday.

The current crisis, like others, questions the respect for the rule of law in a digital world. We need collective reflection on this subject. But the end of anonymity (which is often only pseudonymity) is a bad fight, dangerous and probably in vain

- Cédric O (@cedric_o) February 15, 2020

“The right to anonymity on social networks is not impunity. The legal means exist to identify and prosecute. Article 6.1.II of the LCEN requires social networks to keep data likely to allow identification, "explained in a long thread Guillaume Champeau, the founder of the Numerama site, now director" ethics and legal affairs "of Qwant search engine. "These data can be obtained on request in a few hours and allow the conduct of investigations and prosecutions," he added.

These data can be obtained on request in a few hours and allow the conduct of investigations and prosecutions.

Courts condemn daily for unlawful acts committed online, with or without apparent anonymity. We must give them the means to do so

- Guillaume Champeau (@gchampeau) February 14, 2020

Soon a new law to strengthen the protection of privacy?

The #GriveauxGate could very quickly find an epilogue in the legislative debate. According to some journalists, majority deputies would like to propose "a legislative initiative" next week to strengthen the protection of privacy, and thus improve articles 226-1 and 2 of the penal code. "What is the responsibility of those who retweet an intimate video? "Would question some elected members of the majority today.

This affair, which is currently shaking the French political sphere, also intervenes in the midst of a debate on the Avia bill "against online hatred", which allows online platforms to remove content deemed illegal. At first reading in the Assembly, the deputy LR Eric Ciotti had wanted to strengthen the text by proposing to end anonymity on social networks, but the proposal had been revoked by the rapporteur of the project, the deputy LREM Laetitia Avia .

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Benjamin Griveaux's withdrawal: What is the risk of spreading sexual images of another person without his knowledge?

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Benjamin Griveaux's removal: The website that posted the offline sex videos

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