Due to come into effect on New Year's Day, the law has effectively been put on hold by the country's National Commission on Informatics and Liberties (CNIL). Any law that impacts on citizens' personal data in France requires CNIL's full feedback and permission which has, so far, not been granted.

The bill passed through several iterations last year before finally being approved by the French senate in October.

This new barrier has led French legal experts to suggest that the ...