The Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés (CNIL, French pronunciation: [knil]; English: National Commission on Informatics and Liberty) is an independent French administrative regulatory body whose mission is to ensure that data privacy law is applied to the collection, storage, and use of personal data.
Chirac was the successor to Raymond Marcellin, who had been forced to resign in the end of February 1974 after having attempted to place wiretaps in the offices of the weekly newspaper Le Canard enchaîné.
The main principles for regulation of personal data processing are as follows (non-exhaustive list): The archival of sensitive information can result in a five-year prison term and a €300,000 fine.
Germany in 1971, Sweden in 1973, and France in 1978 were the first three States to vote for a "Computers and Liberty" law; these work with an independent control authority.
The CNIL is the target of various criticisms, alleging its lack of action and tendency to support governmental legislation, forgetting its original aims of protecting data privacy and citizens' rights.
In 2016, Google appealed a CNIL right to be forgotten ruling on the grounds that it could set a precedent for abuse by "less open and democratic" governments.