The meter connected to Linky, which follows precisely the electricity consumption of every household, “is not Facebook”, assured Saturday the boss of Direct Energie, the leading provider of alternative energy recently pinned by the Cnil.
“Linky, this is not Facebook”, the social network responsible for the security of the data it holds, said the co-founder and CEO of Direct Energie, Xavier Caïtucoli, the radio France Inter. “Linky does not know at what time you take your shower, when you go out …”,-he said, stressing that “the consumption of the half-hour does not have information of a private nature”. At the end of march, the Commission nationale informatique and freedoms (Cnil) has accused Direct Energy of don’t ask clearly enough their consent to its customers to perform a follow-up to the half-hour of their consumption, instead of tracking daily.
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The electric meter Linky, which transmit the consumption readings to the suppliers, is the subject of controversy, recurrent, in particular on the protection of personal data, some fearing that it can support an intrusion in the private life. “Obviously we will resolve the problem with the Cnil,” said Mr. Caïtucoli, regretting that there had “not shown that the benefits” of this counter, which is, according to him, “a great opportunity for the consumer” in a context of growing demand for electricity.
“Electricity is the energy of the Twenty-first century” and “the hours super hollow, it is through Linky”, he said. More than seven million of these digital meters have already been installed, but they are contested in some 300 cities and municipalities, in particular at the initiative of ecologists who see in it the possibility of monitoring the consumer.
The oil and gas giant French Total announced last week that it would buy 74,33% of Direct Energy for about 1.4 billion euros from its major shareholders in order to become a heavy weight of electricity in the country.
