As discussions about the 2027 finance bill continue, a proposal by the Socialist Party to tax digital data sent to French internet users has sparked interest. The idea, introduced by deputy Laurent Lhardit, was not adopted by the finance committee. The proposal aimed to generate 10 billion euros by targeting large technology companies, though it faced both technical difficulties and concerns about how it might affect consumers. The plan suggested a tax of 0.055 euros per gigabyte of data, which differs from earlier proposals such as those by the National Rally or the European "fair share" principle, which would have returned revenue to telecom operators instead of the general budget. Content publishers would have been responsible for the tax, with a cap set at either 15% of their turnover in France or 2% of their global revenues. European telecom companies have shown interest in having major internet companies help fund the expansion of network infrastructure. However, the proposed tax rate raises concerns about its scale. On the wholesale telecom and content delivery network (CDN) market, delivering a gigabyte of data typically costs less than one cent. A tax of 0.055 euros would increase this cost by over five times, potentially leading to higher costs for users. According to Arcep, the average monthly internet usage per connection reached 267 gigabytes at the start of 2026. At the proposed rate, this would result in a theoretical monthly tax of 14.70 euros for a single fixed internet connection. For example, a 100 gigabyte video game would generate 5.50 euros in tax, and a season of a series in 4K would be nearly 4 euros. Even updates for iOS or macOS or restoring an iCloud backup could incur costs. The cap tied to turnover would limit the actual tax burden for the most data-intensive services, but the proposal does not specify how publishers would pass on the cost. Two possible scenarios emerged: raising subscription prices or reducing the quality of delivery (such as increasing compression or limiting video resolution to 1080p) to lower the amount of taxable data. In both cases, the current model of unlimited fixed internet and generous mobile data plans could face pressure. A deputy proposed an amendment to tax major internet services, but implementing such a tax is far from simple. To tax data volume, it must first be determined which publisher is responsible for the data. However, a significant portion of internet traffic passes through content delivery networks (CDNs), such as those operated by Akamai or Cloudflare, which distribute content from many services simultaneously. A single data stream can involve multiple actors, increasing the risk of double-counting. Encryption complicates the identification process, although it does not make it impossible. An intermediary cannot read the content of a communication, but certain metadata, such as IP addresses, can often trace traffic back to a specific service or infrastructure. However, this is not always sufficient, especially when servers are shared. The regulatory framework also presents challenges. If internet service providers had to measure traffic and report its origin, they would need to comply with European rules on net neutrality and the protection of personal data. These rules do not prohibit all traffic accounting, but they strictly regulate what operators can do. While the tax is not impossible to implement, it would be significantly more complex than its principle suggests. In theory, the amendment could be resubmitted during the public session, and the issue of funding network expansion through digital giants continues to resurface in various forms. It remains to be seen whether a future version of the proposal can clearly explain how to measure and tax the data it claims to target.