Overview

• Fifteen organizations, including Amnesty International, have taken legal action against the French government's use of an algorithm to detect welfare fraud.
• The algorithm used by CNAF is accused of discriminating against disabled individuals, single mothers, and low-income families by assigning them higher risk scores.
• Critics argue the system violates European privacy laws and French anti-discrimination statutes, contributing to mass surveillance of vulnerable groups.
• CNAF defends the algorithm as a tool for estimating fraud risk, asserting it does not intentionally discriminate against any group.
• The case could influence the implementation of the EU's new AI regulations, which will ban social scoring practices starting February 2025.