IKEA's management in France is on trial for spying on its own employees

IKEA's management in France faces a fine of up to 3.75 million euros for the illegal actions, and some accused have up to ten years in prison, the AFP agency writes. The trial was expected to end on April 2. The whole case was started in 2012 by the findings of the satirical magazine Le Canard enchainé and the news portal Mediapart, according to which IKEA monitored its employees and their habits for several years. IKEA had the security agency check the past and contacts of its employees and jobseekers at branches throughout France without informing them. The security agency found out if they had stolen in the past, were not opposed to globalization, whether there was a risk of eco-terrorism, or why new requirements had suddenly started to work, Le Monde reported in specific cases. After eight years of investigation, the trial began today with IKEA and fifteen individuals. The court accuses them of "collecting personal data in the file fraudulently", "misuse of the purpose of processing personal data", "intentional unlawful disclosure of personal data" or "breach of professional secrecy". Le Monde writes briefly about these crimes as "espionage." The head of the entire staff screening system was Jean-François Paris, former Director of Risk Management. The company had an annual budget of 30 to 600 thousand euros for this purpose, according to AFP.