Summary
2 March 2012
The Swedish furniture giant Ikea has been accused of secretly accessing police files to spy on customers and staff in its stores in France. The company is alleged to have paid private security firms to carry out checks on over 200 people. Ten Ikea employees are planning to issue a formal complaint.
Reporter
Christian Fraser
Ikea France allegedly paid the police to get secret files.
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Report
Ikea is a company with a stringent code of conduct for its suppliers but less stringent it seems for the security firms it has employed here in France. Their head of security paid over 100 dollars a time for secret police files held on a criminal database.
Over 200 people were investigated, with requests for criminal record and vehicle registration checks, though one email calls for information on someone thought to have made "anti-globalisation remarks" - someone who had raised concerns internally of a possible eco-terrorist attack. It's reported the information was used in deciding whether to fire staff members and also in resolving disputes with certain customers.
In response the company told the 大象传媒 that Ikea has now opened a full investigation to bring to light all relevant information. "We strongly disapprove," said a spokesman, "of any illegal activity which impinges on important values like the respect of privacy." Illegal access to these files carries a penalty of up 400,000 dollars and five years in prison.
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Vocabulary
- stringent
strict
- suppliers
providers of goods or services
- criminal database
record of illegal activity
- investigated
subjected to inquiries to discover information about them
- anti-globalisation
against growth on an international level
- raised concerns
said they were worried
- to fire
to terminate the employment of
- resolving
finding a solution for
- to bring to light
to discover, to make public
- impinges (on)
negatively affects
