The phenomenon is not new, but seems to be gaining momentum. For the past few weeks, unblurred images of customers presented as thieves have been posted on social networks by certain merchants, victims of shoplifting. This practice, called the doxingwhich consists in making public photos or videos of an individual that one seeks to identify in order to harm him, is very widespread in the United States.
In France, more and more traders now prefer to go through social networks “to do justice”. This is the case of Jennifer, a shopkeeper from Forbach (Moselle), who saw 480 euros worth of clothes disappear in a few seconds last month. She declared the theft to the police, but without news of the investigation, she decided to post the images of the alleged thief captured by her video surveillance system on her Facebook account.
“I have a photo of her car registration, as well as a photo of her husband and baby”
“By the time I picked up my son from the crèche, my saleswoman was alone. The client took the opportunity to steal four down jackets from me. I invite this lady to bring them back to me because a complaint will be filed. I have a photo of her car registration, as well as a photo of her husband and baby. People disgust me,” she wrote on Facebook before deleting her post.
In September, another retailer released images of a theft from his consignment store. Two days later, the thieves returned the stolen items on the pretext of forgetting to pay. “They were embarrassed, they were ashamed, that was the goal. As they are rarely afraid of justice. We will not hesitate to do it again, ”the trader justified himself.
Up to one year in prison and 45,000 euros fine
Many small traders in the four corners of France have also opted for this approach. “We have decided, like our fellow traders recently, to publish the images of all the incivilities that we experience. The pharmacy is equipped with several cameras. From now on, we will display the photos of all the people who fly in our pharmacy. On good terms! “Warns a pharmacy in Petite Rosselle (Moselle) on its Facebook account.
Last April, a supermarket located in Verdun-sur-Garonne (Tarn-et-Garonne) decided to highlight the faces of the alleged thieves on a large sign at the entrance to the store, accompanied by the words “Thieves of the month” (in reference to the famous “employee of the month”).
“All these initiatives are illegal,” regularly reminds the police. According to the Penal Code, “invasion of privacy by the dissemination of images is punishable by one year in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros”. “You do not have the right to broadcast these videos because the people who appear in these images benefit from the presumption of innocence”, also indicate certain lawyers on social networks.