Observatoire des Algorithmes Publics — a Citizen-Led Monitor Exposing France's Unenforced 2016 Transparency Law

France's 2016 Law for a Digital Republic requires public administrations with 50+ staff to publish the rules behind algorithms used in individual decisions. In November 2024, researchers Camille Girard-Chanudet, Estelle Hary and Soizic Pénicaud launched the Observatoire des Algorithmes Publics, an independent citizen-led initiative to track which agencies actually comply.

To identify which public bodies disclose their algorithms as the law requires and make the findings public, building an evidence base on a duty that had gone largely unenforced.

The observatory monitors agency compliance with the 2016 disclosure obligation and publishes its findings independently of government.

The observatory's findings converge with the French national Ombudsperson's (Défenseure des Droits) 13 November 2024 report, which concluded the disclosure duty has been a "dead letter" since enactment, with compliance limited to a few exceptions such as France Travail. France's Conseil d'État separately noted the obligation carries no sanction.

As a small independent research team without enforcement power, the observatory's own coverage remains partial; its significance is that an official state institution has now echoed evidence it first assembled. The Ombudsperson recommends the government introduce penalties for non-compliance and publish a compliance inventory.