Explained: French laws on foreign interference in politics
Likely French presidential candidates Gabriel Attal and Raphaël Glucksmann have both recently filed legal complaints over suspected Russian interference – but what can the French legal system do about it?
French presidential hopefuls Gabriel Attal and Raphaël Glucksmann have filed legal complaints over suspected Russian interference in the country's 2027 election. Glucksmann's complaint, filed after receiving a fake AI video targeting him and his partner, highlights concerns over foreign interference in French politics. The French government plans to introduce a bill to combat this interference, and if passed, it would establish a new judicial process for removing false online content that undermines national interests.
The bill proposes a summary court to order measures to stop the dissemination of such content, including delisting websites or removing content. It would also increase penalties for spreading false electoral information and impose a six-year jail term for foreign interference defined as serving foreign interests. The law, inspired by the USA's Foreign Agents Registration Act, requires individuals or legal entities promoting foreign interests to French authorities or the public to register their activities.
Intelligence services are authorized to use digital detection techniques until June 2028, and procedures for freezing financial assets in foreign interference cases are already in place.
Written by urgent.news from The Local France's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
