French law · Prepare your case, step by step
Prepare evidence for a CNIL complaint
To prepare a CNIL complaint, identify the organisation, data-protection concern and steps already taken. Include dated rights requests, responses and relevant screenshots. A data-protection complaint does not replace a damages claim or criminal complaint. The file should make the alleged problem understandable while avoiding unrelated personal information that the authority does not need to assess it.
Go to the organiserWhich issues should I examine in my file?
Should I keep my request to the organisation?
Read this distinction: Where a complaint concerns the exercise of a data right, retain the request first sent to the organisation and its response or failure to respond. Record what your documents establish and what remains uncertain.
Does the CNIL replace other remedies?
Read this distinction: A CNIL complaint concerns data protection; it does not replace a criminal complaint or a civil claim for damages. Record what your documents establish and what remains uncertain.
What makes the complaint understandable?
Read this distinction: The complaint should identify the organisation, processing or content at issue, the chronology and the evidence enabling the CNIL to understand the alleged breach. Record what your documents establish and what remains uncertain.
Which situations should I distinguish?
| Situation | Purpose | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| CNIL complaint | Seek data-protection review | Request, response and processing |
| Damages claim | Pursue civil compensation | Separate route and evidence |
Should I keep my request to the organisation?
Where a complaint concerns the exercise of a data right, retain the request first sent to the organisation and its response or failure to respond.
Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Does the CNIL replace other remedies?
A CNIL complaint concerns data protection; it does not replace a criminal complaint or a civil claim for damages.
Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗What makes the complaint understandable?
The complaint should identify the organisation, processing or content at issue, the chronology and the evidence enabling the CNIL to understand the alleged breach.
Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗How can I prepare this file?
This organiser assembles your choices on this page. Fields are not sent automatically and are not retained after reloading.
Read this distinction: Where a complaint concerns the exercise of a data right, retain the request first sent to the organisation and its response or failure to respond. Record what your documents establish and what remains uncertain.
What does a worked example show?
An access request received a partial response, but correspondence is scattered across two contact addresses.
- Task
- Prepare evidence for a CNIL complaint
- Evidence to locate
- Initial request to the controller and proof of receipt
- Question to resolve
- Does the CNIL replace other remedies?
Create one chronology and specify which requested information remains unanswered.
What should I know before acting?
Should I keep my request to the organisation?
Where a complaint concerns the exercise of a data right, retain the request first sent to the organisation and its response or failure to respond.
Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Does the CNIL replace other remedies?
A CNIL complaint concerns data protection; it does not replace a criminal complaint or a civil claim for damages.
Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗What makes the complaint understandable?
The complaint should identify the organisation, processing or content at issue, the chronology and the evidence enabling the CNIL to understand the alleged breach.
Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Which documents make this file useful?
Start by locating these records: Initial request to the controller and proof of receipt; The organisation's response or dated evidence showing no response; Screenshots, URLs, privacy notice, forms and other records of the disputed processing. Keep unknown or unavailable details marked as such; a checklist is not proof that a document exists.
What does the worked example demonstrate?
An access request received a partial response, but correspondence is scattered across two contact addresses. Create one chronology and specify which requested information remains unanswered. This fictional example demonstrates a preparation method, not the outcome of a real case.
Which mistakes can change the analysis?
Avoid these shortcuts: Complaining to the CNIL about a dispute without a sufficiently identified connection to personal data; Sending a narrative without copies of earlier steps or evidence identifying the organisation.
Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Does completing the sheet submit a request?
No. The sheet organises your selected issue, available records and own notes. It sends nothing to an authority or another party, calculates no deadline and cannot suspend one. Copy the file and check the applicable procedure before acting. Create one chronology and specify which requested information remains unanswered.
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