French authorities are investigating major cyberattacks affecting government-related systems and large volumes of personal information. One breach reportedly compromised data linked to hundreds of thousands of people and businesses, while another incident exposed millions of telephone numbers. Such attacks demonstrate how personal data can become a national-security issue rather than merely a technical problem. Citizens increasingly expect governments that collect sensitive information to protect it to the same standard demanded of major private companies. The controversy therefore raises a simple but powerful question: who should pay when the state fails to keep citizens’ data.