A DGCCRF inspection lands on your e-commerce site. The agent first looks for a legal notice page. If it is missing or incomplete, the anomaly report is almost automatic. Writing correct legal notices is not a vague administrative formality: it is a precise obligation, framed by law, non-compliance with which exposes you to heavy financial penalties.
SREN Law of 2024: What Has Changed for Identifying Website Publishers
Most online guides still refer to Article 6-III of the LCEN of 2004 to list identification obligations. This framework has changed. Since the SREN law of May 21, 2024, the obligation to identify the publisher of a website has been moved to a new dedicated article, with modernized wording.
This change is not cosmetic. The SREN law clarifies the mentions to be included depending on whether one is an individual entrepreneur or a company, and specifies the expected tax references (VAT number, mention of exemption if applicable). For sites created or revamped since mid-2024, we are therefore working on a different legal basis than the majority of free online templates still use.
A concrete example of a page compliant with these requirements can be found in the legal notices of the Blogeek site, which details the identity of the publisher, the contact details of the host, and information related to personal data in a readable structure.
Mandatory Legal Notices: The Concrete List According to Your Status
The exact content of the page varies depending on whether you are a natural person or a legal entity. Confusing the two produces an incomplete page from the start.
Natural Person (micro-enterprise, sole proprietorship)
- Name and surname, accompanied by the mention “individual entrepreneur” or the initials “EI” since the reform of the status
- Home address (or registered address), email address, and contact phone number
- Registration number with the RCS, VAT identification number if applicable
- Full identity of the website host: name or corporate name, address, and phone number
Legal Entity (company)
- Corporate name, legal form (SARL, SAS, etc.), and amount of share capital
- Address of the registered office, email address, and phone number
- Registration number with the RCS, VAT identification number
- Identity of the host, with the same information as for a natural person
- Name of the publication director
For regulated activities (liberal professions, real estate agents, food professions), specific mentions related to the activity are added: reference to the licensing authority, professional card number, conditions for accessing the profession.
Personal Data and Cookies: The Mentions That the CNIL Really Expects
Beyond the identity of the publisher, the legal notice page (or a supplementary privacy policy page) must inform visitors about the processing of their personal data. In practice, many sites settle for a cookie banner without any explanation behind it.
What the regulation expects: specify the purposes of each data collection, the legal basis for processing (consent, legitimate interest, contractual obligation), the retention period, and the rights available to the user (access, rectification, deletion, portability). This information must be written in understandable language, not in an unreadable legal copy-paste.
On the cookie side, the simple banner “By continuing, you accept” has not been sufficient for several years. The visitor must be able to refuse non-functional cookies as easily as they accept them. The “Accept” and “Refuse” buttons must be visually equivalent. Feedback on this point varies by sector, but the CNIL has increased formal notices on this specific issue.
Sanctions and DGCCRF Controls: What You Risk Concretely
The absence of legal notices or their incomplete nature constitutes an offense. Fines can reach 75,000 euros for a natural person and 375,000 euros for a legal entity, along with a penalty of up to one year in prison.
These figures are not theoretical. The DGCCRF is intensifying its inspections of websites, and the absence of legal notices is among the first anomalies noted during these checks. The inspection is not limited to large e-commerce sites: the showcase sites of very small enterprises, monetized blogs, and freelance pages are also concerned.
A often overlooked point: intellectual property. If your site uses images, illustrations, or texts from third parties, you must mention their source or prove that you have the rights. Forgetting this mention does not fall under the DGCCRF but exposes you to copyright infringement actions.
Updating your legal notices is not a one-time project. A change of address, a new hosting provider, or the addition of a contact form changes the information to be declared. The page must reflect the reality of the site at the present time.
Checking your legal notices at least once a year remains the most reliable method to stay compliant without waiting for an inspection or a competitor to remind you.
