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The Court of Justice of the European Union Condemns France’s Police Profiling Practices

On 19 March 2026 the Court of Justice of the European Union issued the “Comdribus” judgment, declaring France’s statutory collection of fingerprints and photographs of suspects disproportionate and contrary to EU law. The ruling emphasizes that biometric data are “sensitive” and may only be processed when strictly necessary, a condition French Article 55‑1 fails to satisfy. It also orders French courts to scrutinize police justification practices, noting the current lack of any duty to explain data collection to detainees. With roughly 9 million facial images and 6.5 million fingerprints already stored, the decision threatens a massive purge of illegal records.