France

In France, IKEA appeared in criminal court in March 2021 for having used illegal practices to monitor employees on a large scale, based on a complaint filed by Force Ouvrière (FO) in 2012. After eight years of investigation, the company was charged with illegally collecting confidential information on hundreds of people across the country, including union representatives, calling on private agencies to obtain confidential information from the records of the national police. FO delegates were particularly targeted. In 2010-2011, the press revealed the infiltration of two fake employees in the Franconville shop where FO was very well established and at the origin of a massive strike in 2010. These infiltrators were allegedly tasked with gaining the trust of their colleagues and reporting their actions to management. The hearings were due to be held until April 2021.

In France, Amazon warehouses were under surveillance, as the company analysed "security risks" including “labour organisation and trade union presence”. Data collected included the number of attendees at each protest, how well strikes were followed and even whether leaflets were being handed out. Other intelligence activities included the creation of fake social media profiles to investigate employees leading protests and infiltrating Facebook groups.