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Florence Chafiol, partner at August Debouzy, provides both advisory and litigation support to her clients, whether major French and foreign players or new economy companies (Next 40), on all their legal and strategic issues related to innovative technological projects in the digital, artificial intelligence or e-commerce fields.
She has also developed a highly recognized practice on all issues related to personal data in connection with the GDPR, and cybersecurity.
Florence Chafiol also assists her clients in the event of cyber security attacks and personal data breaches that they may experience and throughout the management of the resulting crisis. Finally, she assists her clients who have been the subject of formal notices or have undergone audits with the handling of their pre-litigation and litigation processes with the French Data Protection Authority (CNIL) as well as with their “personal data” disputes before civil and criminal courts.
Florence has been teaching for several years at the DJCE of Montpellier (Corporate Lawyer Diploma) and at the University of Panthéon-Assas, in Paris, in connection with the DPO University Degree. She regularly leads or takes part in conferences and debates pertaining to personal data protection, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, and publishes articles on these subjects in the general and specialized press.
French I English
FORBES 2025 - Top 40 of CAC40 Lawyers
Top 10 of the Rising stars: Florence Chafiol
DÉCIDEURS STRATÉGIE FINANCE DROIT 2024
INNOVATION, TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMS
Data Protection Law and Cybersecurity: leading
Telecommunications law: highly recommended
Digital Platforms Law and Applications: leading
IT, software & digital projects: leading
HEALTHCARE, PHARMACEUTICALS & BIOTECH
E-Health: excellent
COMPETITION & ANTITRUST
Distribution law: excellent
MARKETING, COMMUNICATION & DIGITAL
Advertising law & marketing: highly recommended
WHO'S WHO LEGAL 2024
France – Data: Thought Leader
Data – Data Security: Global Elite Thought Leader
Data - Data Privacy & Protection: Thought Leader
Data – Information Technology: Thought Leader
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August Debouzy advises SPIE on the signing of an agreement for the contemplated acquisition of Artemys
August Debouzy advised SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy infrastructure and communications, as well as its French digital services subsidiary SPIE ICS, in connection with the signing of an agreement for the contemplated acquisition of 93% of the share capital of Artemys, a French expert in digital transformation.
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Toward a Two-Tier Liability Regime for Online Platforms? Analysis of the CJEU’s Russmedia Decision
In a judgment dated 2 December 2025, the Court of Justice of the European Union held a marketplace operator liable for the unlawful processing of sensitive data published in a user’s advertisement. The CJEU ruled that the operator is responsible for the processing of advertisements published on its platform and must verify, prior to publication, whether they contain sensitive data and whether their processing complies with the GDPR.
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August Debouzy advises Argos Wityu on the acquisition of a majority stake in Hexvia group, one of the European leaders in the moving services market
August Debouzy advised Argos Wityu on the acquisition from Siparex, BPM Group and other minority financial investors of a majority stake in Hexvia group, a leading French player in the moving services market, alongside Bpifrance.
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August Debouzy advised Chausson Matériaux on the acquisition of Frans Bonhomme’s business in France
August Debouzy advised Chausson Matériaux, France’s leading independent distributor of building materials, on the acquisition of Frans Bonhomme’s business in France, the French leader in multi-channel distribution of materials and solutions for networks and infrastructures.
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August Debouzy advised Quable in its merger with Ibexa
August Debouzy advised Quable, a recognized specialist in Product Information Management (PIM), as well as its shareholders, in the context of its merger with Ibexa, a subsidiary of the European MarTech group QNTM and an expert in Digital Experience Platforms (DXP). Following this transaction, Ibexa has become the majority shareholder of Quable.
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GDPR Breaches, Unfair Competition, and Health Data: The CJEU Weighs In
In a judgment dated October 4, 2024 , the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) stated that the provisions of the GDPR do not prevent a national regulation (in this case, German) from allowing competitors of a company that has violated the GDPR to bring an action before civil courts against that company, based on the prohibition of unfair commercial practices.
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GDPR and AI: A Case Study of Extraterritorial GDPR Application with Clearview AI Decisions
By three decisions issued by the Italian, French, and Dutch data protection authorities, Clearview AI has been sanctioned for numerous violations of the GDPR. Beyond the violations committed by the company, these decisions illustrate the broad extraterritorial scope of the GDPR, which applies to a company that (i) has no establishment in the European Union and (ii) does not offer goods or services in the Union. The authorities deemed that the GDPR applies to the company’s processing because its database contains photographs of European residents collected from publicly accessible sources, allowing for ‘behavioral monitoring’ within the European Union (Article 3.2 (b)). These conclusions could apply to any artificial intelligence system that collects massive amounts of personal data, regardless of the provider's location or target market.
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France is positioning itself at the forefront of AI, sports, and data initiatives ahead of Paris 2024 Olympics
As the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games approach, France is taking significant strides in integrating technology and sports. The French National Spo
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August Debouzy has assisted the Clariane Group in entering into exclusive negotiations for the planned sale of its Hospital at Home (HAD) business in France
August Debouzy has assisted Clariane, a global care, healthcare and hospitality group listed on Euronext Paris, in signing a put option agreement with Fond
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August Debouzy assisted WeWork with the reorganization of its operations in France
August Debouzy advised the French subsidiary of coworking giant WeWork on the reorganization of its operations in France. In the broader context of its
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