French authorities have the right to exploit certain information of social network users to detect tax evasion.

France's constitutional court on December 27 ruled that customs and tax officials of the country have the right to review the profiles, posts and images of social media users in case of need, in order to find evidence. about tax evaders or income tax frauds.

The regulation was part of a supplementary tax law passed by parliament last week. In the ruling yesterday, the French constitutional court said that this action may affect the privacy, freedom of speech of social network users, but affirmed this is an obligation to comply with the law.

State Modernization and French Minister Gerald Darmanin said the new regulation "added a tool to combat tax fraud". "If you say you're not a citizen paying taxes in France but keep posting photos on Instagram from France, there may be a problem," Darmanin told Le Figaro.

The Constitutional Court added that the French authorities must ensure to only use information that users disclose on social networks. French data monitoring agency CNIL thinks the new government regulations are legal but can be troublesome for social network users.