Latest news with #LeCanardEnchaîné
El Chorouk
2 days ago
- Politics
- El Chorouk
French Intelligence Leaks Document Targeting Algeria!
The decline in official French statements hostile to Algeria does not necessarily mean that Paris has a desire to de-escalate and restore bilateral relations, which have been on ice for about a year now. The proof is the leaking of an official document from a sovereign French body that attacks Algeria and accuses it of destabilizing France. This document was issued by the 'French Service for Vigilance and Protection against Foreign Digital Interference,' known by its acronym 'Viginum,' which represents the technical information branch of French intelligence. It was leaked to the satirical newspaper 'Le Canard Enchaîné' and includes accusations that Algeria is waging an electronic war against France with the aim of destabilizing it, according to the newspaper, which claimed to have seen it. In its issue published on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, the newspaper spoke of another 'war,' not apparent, in addition to the escalating diplomatic crisis, taking place in the virtual world, based on the document leaked from the corridors of the French intelligence's cybercrime fighting services. This marks the latest escalation from the French side, after months of an undeclared truce, during which French politicians, led by Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, refrained from delving into the current diplomatic and political crisis. The document issued by the 'French Service for Vigilance and Protection against Foreign Digital Interference' claims that an army of fake Algerian accounts is waging an anti-France campaign on social media platforms to manipulate public opinion and tarnish the reputation of the French government. It also claims that these accounts publish 'the exact same content at the exact same time or within minutes.' The document, which attempted to provide some details, based on what 'Le Canard Enchaîné' reported, speaks of the creation of 4652 online posts and 55 YouTube videos about an alleged conspiracy by the French Directorate-General for External Security against Algeria within just twenty days in December 2024, as well as targeting some French brands, such as the cheese brand 'La Vache qui rit,' the automotive giant 'Peugeot,' and the famous brand 'Lacoste' specializing in clothing. In a serious escalation that indicates that the warming of bilateral relations is not as close as some portray it, the French Service for Vigilance and Protection against Foreign Digital Interference accuses Algerian sovereign entities, which confirms that the French authorities are trying to hide behind media leaks in order to provoke Algeria, and then hide behind freedom of expression, as they market their justifications every time. The document leaked by 'Le Canard Enchaîné' comes at a time when the French authorities are experiencing a state of frustration due to the failure of all their maneuvers aimed at dissuading the Algerian authorities from some of their sovereign positions, especially regarding the continued imprisonment of the Franco-Algerian writer, Boualem Sansal, and the sports journalist, Christophe Galtier, a dilemma that has exhausted the Paris authorities and put them before difficult challenges in front of French public opinion. It is not unlikely that this incident will pass without a firm Algerian response, for which the appropriate time will be chosen, because the document was issued by a sovereign entity, and it reveals how a highly sensitive French institution views Algeria. Moreover, the existence of such a belief means that the victim party, if it can be said, will respond in its own way, and this indicates that there are signs of an impending escalation on the Algiers-Paris axis, which remains hostage to the repercussions of the ill-considered decision taken by French President Emmanuel Macron last summer, by engaging in support for the so-called autonomy plan in Western Sahara, which was presented by the Moroccan regime in 2007.
Local France
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Local France
France probes X over algorithm enabling 'foreign interference', says prosecutor
Investigators would be examining actions of the company, and its senior managers, after two complaints were filed in January, prosecutor Laure Beccuau said, without specifically mentioning X owner Elon Musk. The two complaints made on January 12th reported "the supposed use of the X algorithm for purposes of foreign interference", her office said, without elaborating. The first complaint was filed by a centrist member of parliament Eric Bothorel, who has looked into cybersecurity. Advertisement Bothorel warned against "recent changes to the X algorithm, as well as apparent interferences in its management since Elon Musk acquired" the company in 2022. He highlighted a "reduction in the diversity of voices and options" that went against guaranteeing a secure, respectful environment on the social media platform. He pointed to "a lack of clarity in criteria that led to algorithm changes and moderation decisions", and to "personal interventions from Elon Musk in the management on his platform". All this presented a "real danger and a threat for our democracies", he said. French investigative weekly Le Canard Enchaîné in February reported that the second complaint had come from a cybersecurity director in public office. He reported a "major modification in the algorithm used by the X platform, which today offers a huge amount of political content that is hateful, racist, anti-LGBTQ (or) homophobic, and aims to skew democratic debate in France", it said. The prosecutor said on Friday that the investigation had been opened after "verification and contributions by French researchers" and further "elements contributed by different political institutions". Laurent Buanec, France director of X, on January 22nd said X had "strict, clear and public rules to protect the platform from hateful discourse" and fight disinformation. He said the algorithm was "built in a way to avoid offering you hateful content".
El Chorouk
16-04-2025
- Politics
- El Chorouk
Consensus in France That A Minister Defeated the Head of State
A cartoon in the French satirical newspaper Le Canard Enchaîné vividly summarised the role of the far-right's French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau in dragging Algerian-French relations toward a dark horizon, reflecting the same position of Algerian authorities before and after the rift. In a sarcastic tone, Le Canard Enchaîné commented on French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to withdraw his ambassador from Algeria and retaliate against its decision to expel 12 employees working at the French embassy in Algiers. The newspaper published a picture of Interior Minister Bruno Roteaut smiling and commented, 'Everything is going wonderfully wrong', clearly referring to this minister's prominent role in destroying bilateral relations. The Algerian authorities' accusation that Minister Retailleau had sabotaged relations between the two countries was not merely an exaggeration or an inaccurate description of the tensions that gripped the Algiers-Paris axis. Rather, it has become a conviction among many French people, even if the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs himself, Jean-Noël Barrot, attempted to exonerate his government colleague from the worsening of bilateral relations in an interview with Radio France Internationale (France Inter) the day after the rift between the two countries. Nothing is more indicative of this than the debate on the set of the far-right CNews channel. It concluded that French diplomacy, in dealing with the escalating situation with Algeria, was torn between two currents. The first, led by President Emmanuel Macron, called for calm, while the second, represented by Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, called for escalation. Supporters of the second option emerged victorious. What's interesting is that the faction led by the Interior Minister triumphed over the faction led by the Head of State in a strange paradox, because when the crisis intensified, Macron attempted to take the Algerian file out of the hands of Retailleau, who presumably lacked the authority or access to it, based on the constitutional powers granted to both parties. This is especially true given the vast difference between the two positions, especially if the observer realises that the political system in France is presidential. Without disregarding the possibility of a role swap between President Macron and his Interior Minister, to confuse decision-makers in Algeria amid a devastating, unprecedented crisis since the end of French colonialism more than six decades ago, the hypothesis of the French president's weakness remains strongly present. This is due to his declining popularity and the loss of his parliamentary majority in the early parliamentary elections he called for last summer. This forced him to ally with a right-wing movement hostile to Algeria, which is still reeling from a political, military, and moral defeat at the hands of the stubborn Algerian people. However, statements that could be considered a slip of the tongue by Bruno Retailleau, issued just hours after Macron's decision to withdraw his country's ambassador from Algeria and implement the reciprocity resolution, support the hypothesis of the 'strong' Interior Minister versus the 'weak' President. In an interview with the far-right CNews channel, held Tuesday night, Retailleau asserted that Algerian private services were behind the alleged kidnapping of an Algerian fugitive from justice on French soil. He said in the interview: 'It is unacceptable, and truly unpalatable, for France to be a playground for Algerian services,' referring to the kidnapping allegations promoted by the Paris authorities, while the case is still in the hands of the judiciary. This is a dangerous slip that reveals that the independence of the judiciary in France is merely a pretext for settling scores with other countries. With this statement, he interferes with judicial decisions by attempting to establish a charge that never occurred against an accused who is innocent until proven guilty. This person also enjoys diplomatic immunity based on the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. France had previously witnessed an incident in 1996 in which a Zairean diplomat was implicated in the murder of two French children. However, the French authorities did not rush to arrest him and allowed him to leave French territory without difficulty, as he enjoyed diplomatic immunity. This incident exposed the policy of double standards that France employed in its dealings with Algeria. Fortunately, the Algerian response was on par with the French recklessness and perhaps even exceeded it.
