Used at least once by 39 million people, according to official statistics, FranceConnect is now suspended for certain services such as Social Security or taxes due to cases of fraud.
This online identification tool, an important device in the digital policy of the State, makes it possible to connect to various public or private services by always using the same identifier and password.
FranceConnect is strategic to facilitate the online switch of administrative services.
This tool is also an issue of power, with public authorities seeking to prevent Gafam or other foreign Internet giants from preempting these identification devices, which are destined to take on an increasing role against the backdrop of the digitization of society.
Read also“The repercussions on daily life are unimaginable”: this resident of Yvelines was stolen … her identity
But, as Le Canard Enchaîné revealed on Wednesday, some public services have decided to no longer allow access via FranceConnect.
Thus the connection to ameli.fr (Social Security) through this “has been temporarily suspended” since August 12, said a spokesperson for the National Health Insurance Fund.
“The ameli account naturally remains accessible with its Social Security number and password,” he specified.
“We confirm that we have suspended access to the private space on impots.gouv via FranceConnect since August 4,” also said a spokesperson for the Directorate General of Public Finance.
"Access is normally from the home page of taxes.gouv", with the site's specific username and password, he added.
“More secure identification services” for “the most sensitive procedures”
The Interministerial IT Department (Dinum), project manager of FranceConnect which depends on Matignon, has recognized that due to cases of fraud observed in recent months, "a gradual switch" of the device towards "more secure identification services was in progress for “the most sensitive procedures, and in particular those allowing access to financial payments”.
“In practice, ill-intentioned individuals contact users to extort their Ameli or impots.gouv.fr usernames and passwords and then use them to access funding such as those from My Training Account” via FranceConnect, explained the Dinum.
“During the summer, an intensification of these frauds was noted with a few hundred reports per month”, she continued.
These more secure identification services are grouped together in FranceConnect +, a special section for sensitive procedures.
For the moment, there is only one that meets all the criteria and is operational, the digital identity of La Poste.
