French authorities shut down data lookup platform

French authorities have closed a data lookup platform and arrested three teenagers as part of an investigation into the illegal trade of personal information. The platform, which claimed to index 730 million data entries and had over three million queries, was taken down on October 6, 2026, following a request from the J3 section of the Paris prosecutor's office to the Anti-Cybercrime Office on May 15, 2026.

Data lookup platforms enable personal information access

These platforms, known as "lookups," allow users to search and cross-reference personal data obtained from cyberattacks. By entering names and surnames, users can find associated information such as email addresses, home addresses, dates of birth, banking details, or social security numbers. The service relies heavily on indexing, which makes it easier to find and combine data from various sources.

Data sources include stolen databases and purchased files

ZATAZ, a group that has warned about these platforms for over five years, found that some services accessed data directly from organizations. The files used by these platforms are often purchased or downloaded from forums where old or recent databases are shared. These platforms typically make money by selling search access, with some offering subscriptions or credits for use. Monthly fees for two other platforms ranged from 10 to 15 euros, and one service even allowed users to pay 11 euros to request the removal of their information.

Some platforms accessed sensitive organizational data

ZATAZ also discovered lookups that directly accessed CRM tools, which are used to store and manage contact and business information. One of the services observed by ZATAZ had connected to accounts that provided access to resources from the Ministry of Education, Pôle emploi, or SFR a few months before its closure. The investigation into the platform, which was created in March 2026, began with a submission from the Paris prosecutor's office to the OFAC on May 15, 2026.

Authorities are analyzing data and potential criminal uses

The judicial seizure notice indicates that data related to the platform's administrators, customers, and users has been collected and is currently being analyzed. The investigation may also look into whether searches conducted on the platform were later used for physical crimes, such as home invasions. Between February and October 2026, the Paris prosecutor's office launched ten criminal investigations into data aggregation platforms. The CNIL, France's data protection authority, also reports such platforms to the justice system and warns against using them, citing concerns over data misuse and lack of guarantees for users.