France national research institutes hinder work by banning foreign online services

Question

I recently started a postdoc in France. I am not French, do not speak any French yet, and I am new to the culture.

It turns out that all national research institutes in France have a rule against using any foreign online service. All research data and communication must always stay on secure government networks and on French territory. In practice, this means that services like Skype, Dropbox, Gmail, etc. are banned, and we are sometimes reminded of this through the institute's mailing lists (in French only). An article mentioning Skype: https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/France_banning_Skype_from_universities

I find that not being able to use such services seriously hinders my work. I cannot talk to collaborators while at work because they all use Skype, and talking from home is not always convenient (time zones, etc.) I cannot have a shared Dropbox folder with them. I cannot use my online backup service (Backblaze). I cannot forward my emails to a central mailbox (Gmail or other) that I will have access to even after I leave this institute. The institute does not provide easy to use replacements for most of these services. The ones that it does provide don't work well, are limited, inconvenient and unreliable.

The attitude of my colleagues spans a broad spectrum, from "I don't give a damn" to scolding me for wanting to use these services. The attitude of our PI is ambiguous (they aren't really a computer person).

Our work does not require stricter security than usual (i.e. we don't collect personal information, medical data, etc.)

How would you deal with this situation? Complying with the rules would be a hindrance for my work, and would waste time. Not complying may be a risk for me. I am looking for advice from other people who also work in France. I would like to have opinions form people who work in other labs, and also some "cultural advice", as "rule" doesn't mean the same thing in all countries. Since this seems to be a national rule, others must have encountered the same problem.

Answer 1

I can't answer on all the issues, but here are my thoughts on your issues and also to some of the comments.

(I'm actually working in France and as coming from abroad I was surprised at the beginning - but it gets better as you get used to it)

So, indeed, in France there is a formal line on what software is safe to be used. So, instead of Skype, for our group meetings we use another system called Visio, which comes with its own hardware (it's a whole TV set with camera and so).

In the same line, we don't have dropbox and I haven't tried forwarding my emails. I can't comment also on scolding, but I suppose that if someone's not used on working with these softwares, i.e. their work does not depend so much on these things, they haven't actually even thought about having them.

However, there are a few work-arounds and some are more or less practical.

Using your personal computer is always a solution, although you might not get it easily connected to the network. If you can get eduroam access, you can most probably connect your laptop. You might face some resistance in getting connected to the wired network though. (In my case it was solved with eduroam and then i realised that just plugging my laptop to the modem did the trick).

If you don't have a laptop or you don't want to bring it or you can't connect it, for Skype there is http://web.skype.com which is in beta at the moment. I haven't used it for calls (although it seems to be working if my desktop had a mic) but it's generally reliable for messages. I know the university is trying to setup a business Skype, but I don't know when and how this will be available.

As a workaround for the files I want to work from home, I was dropping everything in my google drive (from the web page) which was then synchronising with my computer at home. Later the university started having it's own cloud box system, which made everything easier as there was no problem installing it (it is a university app after all). Searching into your institute account might help find out which options are actually offered.

Finally, for the e-mail issue, I have setup the account also at my home computer and I sync all the email with that. I never had a particular problem with that, as all my emails are now located also on my home computer.

Finally, I don't think the PI can really do anything, as these are state guidelines, so it's beyond their power. However, our lab has a couple common laptops which are used whenever a Skype call is the only way (e.g. when talking with partners abroad).

If I think anything else, I will update my thread. Just to say that it's mostly a matter of habit and you will adapt with a few workarounds.

Answer 2

First and foremost: their lab, their rules. As long as they is not illegal, immoral, or unethical, the lab or their funders (i.e., the government) can set standards and requirements that you must follow. If you don't like the rules, you can quit. If they catch you willfully breaking their rules, they can easily fire you for cause So I would be hesitant about circumventing their regulations if you like your job.

Second, their rules might have a rationale. Their country, their courts, their laws. European data privacy regulations are notably very strict. American companies not only operate under a looser regime -- but the companies themselves often have fictitious headquarters or locate their servers in regimes that are even looser about data privacy. Dropbox and Google have cooperated with US courts and law enforcement to give up client data. Skype used to use clients as p2p supernodes, potentially opening up backdoors (or at minimum, using resources without permission) - this caused many agencies to forbid its use. Even leaving aside court orders and malware, EU privacy laws are such that having something even as trivial as putting the lab's telephone directory (with personal phone numbers and addresses) on a Dropbox might mean that the data might leave the EU -- and thus violate EU data privacy restrictions. As long as the data stays in France, it's protected by French courts and French laws.

Third, the rules might be designed to support local industry. Just as I am only permitted to "Fly America" when using USA-government funds, it is perfectly reasonable for the French government to encourage the use of their own national technologies. If enough national lab scientists are pissed off enough about not being able to use an American software tool, they might very well come up with a superior French tool. Or so they hope.

Fourth, see rule #1: their lab, their rules. You are new to the country and to the lab. Ask your other lab members what they do. Try to not be the "ugly American" who assumes that their way is always the best way. See which rules are to be strictly obeyed and which everyone largely ignores. Learn the culture and language.