Key takeaways

• The French Parliament recently adopted the “Digital Republic” bill, which creates new obligations for businesses that operate or target consumers in France.
• The Digital Law seeks to strengthen French data protection law by enhancing individuals’ rights and increasing sanctions for breaches, with maximum penalties increased twenty-fold.
• The changes in French law reflect the global trend towards enhanced data privacy rights, obligations and enforcement, and also pave the way for the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), which is due to come into force on 25 May 2018.