Security News > 2021 > June > Ikea France Found Guilty in Employee Spying Scandal
A French court ruled Tuesday that Ikea had set up an elaborate system to illegally spy on hundreds of employees and job applicants over several years, using private detectives as well as police sources.
Ikea's former head of risk management, Jean-Francois Paris, who was accused of being at the heart of the spying system, was handed a suspended 18-month prison term and a fine of 10,000 euros.
In all 15 people were ordered to stand trial along with Ikea France, including former store managers, police officials and the head of a private security firm, and most were found guilty.
Emmanuel Daoud, a lawyer for Ikea France, said ahead of the trial that "The company has already been punished very severely in terms of its reputation".
He said Tuesday that the acquittals and a refusal to convict Ikea on more serious charges of concealment of misappropriation of personal information showed that "The court has taken Ikea France's efforts into account."
"These amounts are not enough to force Ikea or other companies to change their behaviour," said Alexis Perrin, a lawyer for Ikea union members near Lyon in southeast France.