Sarkozy Kicks Off Criminal Investigation Into Blog/Twitter Reports He Had An Affair

from the thin-skinned? dept

Wed, Apr 7th 2010 10:01am — Mike Masnick

And we were always told in the US that we spent too much time worrying about which politician was having affairs, while in France, it was pretty much expected that politicians had mistresses. Yet, apparently, Nicolas Sarkozy is so upset about online rumors, repeated on blogs and on Twitter, that both he and his wife have had affairs, that a criminal investigation has been kicked off. Under what law? Apparently the claim is that this would be a "fraudulent introduction of data into a computer system." That seems like a stretch. These are just internet rumors. Most people let them go. At the very least, I could see a libel claim -- but a criminal investigation for "fraudulent introduction of data into a computer system" just seems like massive abuse of power and overkill.

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Filed Under: france, nicolas sarkozy, rumors, twitter

20 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2010 @ 10:08am

After three accusations of cheating, the state should dissolve your marriage. You can apply to have it reinstated after the fact provided you can prove that no cheating occured for the duration of your marriage.
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Michael, 7 Apr 2010 @ 10:15am

That's a law?
So in France, it is illegal to enter fraudulent information into a computer system? How do test data generators or sample data work in France? If I enter a fake name when opening a Facebook account, am I a criminal?

What if I enter a fake name into my contact list on my phone?
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ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 7 Apr 2010 @ 10:16am

For frak's sake
If it's "fraudulent data" it's libel (or slander.) WTF does "introducing it to a computer system" have to do with anything?

And how does Sarkozy have access to computers? He's well over three strikes.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2010 @ 10:17am

Crap, apparantly in Frnace it's a crime to lie when filling out online forms. That's gonna kill the online dating bussiness in France.
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Chuck Norris' Enemy (deceased) (profile), 7 Apr 2010 @ 10:19am

Re: That's a law?
Hell...you couldn't even spell anybody's name incorrectly and not break the law.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2010 @ 10:27am

"fraudulent introduction of data into a computer system."

Is he saying it's HACKING?? :P
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Momo HaKovesh, 7 Apr 2010 @ 10:42am

I thought only Israel had this ridiculous computer law. good to know we're not alone :)
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Michael, 7 Apr 2010 @ 10:48am

Re: Re: That's a law?
Not going overboard here - for it to be fraud, there would have to be some kind of intent, or at least knowledge of the fraud. Writing bad checks is fraud only if you actually knew the account was empty.

However, I still contend that there are plenty of reasons to enter fraudulent data into a computer. If someone IM's me asking for my phone number, I can't give them an incorrect number?

We must be missing some information on the law in question. If it really is as broad as Mike's article suggests, it can't stand up for long.
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Michael, 7 Apr 2010 @ 10:52am

Sarkozy
Also, doesn't this suggest that Sarkozy should be prosecuted criminally for anything he has posted on the internet that is false? I think we have a few examples of blatantly false statements he has made over the past couple of years.

Perhaps we should be throwing him in jail and taking away his internet access.
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Newbelius, 7 Apr 2010 @ 11:34am

Re: That's a law?
There's a difference between invalid data and fraudulent data. Although there are differences between the legal definition of fraud from country to country, generally there needs to be some sort of intent to deceive for the purpose of gain. Entering in false information into a website does not constitute fraud unless I did so with the intent to profit because of the use of the false information. For example, my real name is not Newbelius, yet going under that pseudonym here is not fraud, but merely annonimity. It's not likely that I will profit by using the pseudonym of Newbelius.
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John Doe, 7 Apr 2010 @ 12:00pm

Uh oh...
I guess I better change my online dating profile not say that I am tall, dark and handsome or I might get busted for introducing fraudulent data into a computer system.
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PopeRatzo (profile), 7 Apr 2010 @ 12:23pm

I think we need to start a criminal investigation into Fox News for "introducing fraudulent data into computer systems" for the information on their website.
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slander (profile), 7 Apr 2010 @ 4:02pm

Re: For frak's sake
Name-dropper...
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slander (profile), 7 Apr 2010 @ 4:05pm

Re:
I think we need to start a criminal investigation into all the major media outlets for "introducing fraudulent data into computer systems" for the information on their website.
TFTFY -- now, put down the glass, and back slowly away from the Kool-Aid...
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Apr 2010 @ 5:31am

Re:
Thst's a good idea.
And it would put many blood sucking lawyers out of business
Brilliant!
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donatella, 8 Apr 2010 @ 5:40am

sarkozy
what goes around comes around. So if the shoe fits and apparently it does, you should put that in yr pipe and smoke it. Cant think of any other platitudes for the cheating sods. " If you sleep with the dogs you get up with fleas."E ven if you manage to sue Mr pompous president, You still have fleas. Everyone knows fleas are hard to get rid of.
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abc gum, 8 Apr 2010 @ 5:41am

Re: Re: That's a law?
Do you not gain something by protecting your privacy?
Gain does not have to be defined only as monetary.

One could argue that it is fraud to enter bogus data into the NYT site in order to read it.

Such a law would be bogus, so it violates itself and therefore should be tossed.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Apr 2010 @ 5:44am

Re: Re:
Granted ... however, some are worse than others ... and then some are way over the edge.
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tonio (from Paris), 8 Apr 2010 @ 4:48pm

translation misunderstanding
What they mean by "fraudulent introduction of data into a computer system." is more like using unauthorized access to introduce fraudulent data in the system.
To clarify a bit what happened here, this rumor came out right at the moment of the regional elections in France, so he kicked off this investigation to get to know who originated the gossip. No one is likely to ever actually get convicted. The inestigation is just meant to find out who tried to politically unstabilize Sarkozy.
It actually IS "massive abuse of power" (not the first and probably not the last) but that's all there is to it.

Nobody gives a shit who bangs who anyway
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enrolled agent 2010, 9 Apr 2010 @ 1:14pm

Quite simply, it's slander
libelous statements, if the rumors weren't true. But who could stop them in France, true or false? ^_^
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