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Ikea France fined €1m for snooping on staff | Ikea France fined €1m for snooping on staff |
(32 minutes later) | |
A French court has ordered Ikea to pay a fine of €1m (£860,000; $1.2m) after the Swedish furniture chain was found guilty of spying on staff in France. | A French court has ordered Ikea to pay a fine of €1m (£860,000; $1.2m) after the Swedish furniture chain was found guilty of spying on staff in France. |
The former CEO of Ikea France, Jean-Louis Baillot, was given a two-year suspended jail term and €50,000 fine. | The former CEO of Ikea France, Jean-Louis Baillot, was given a two-year suspended jail term and €50,000 fine. |
The French subsidiary was found to have used private detectives and police officers to collect private data on staff. Evidence came to light in 2012. | The French subsidiary was found to have used private detectives and police officers to collect private data on staff. Evidence came to light in 2012. |
Stung by the affair, Ikea fired four managers and got a new code of conduct. | Stung by the affair, Ikea fired four managers and got a new code of conduct. |
The 15 people in the dock at the Versailles court included top executives and former store managers. | The 15 people in the dock at the Versailles court included top executives and former store managers. |
Four police officers were also on trial for handing over confidential information. | Four police officers were also on trial for handing over confidential information. |
Hundreds of staff targeted | |
The prosecution had called for a €2m fine for Ikea and for Baillot to spend a year in prison, along with two years suspended. | |
The case centred on Ikea France's surveillance of staff during 2009-2012. The scandal was exposed by journalists, then trade unions took legal action. | |
The illegal surveillance covered about 400 people, state prosecutor Pamela Tabardel said. | |
"What's at stake is the protection of our private lives against the threat of mass surveillance," she said when the trial opened in March. | |
Managers were found to have used a private security firm, Eirpace, which in turn collected personal data from the police. It included information about lifestyles and any previous criminal convictions. |