French secret service

The French secret service - The technical director of the French secret service has said, in a rare public appearance, that the  French secret service is looking to recruit geeks rather than budding young James Bonds as it adapts to new demands in the post-coronavirus world.

Patrick Pailloux said there is a danger that many young tech-savvy French people simply do not consider themselves suitable for the stereotypes of France’s Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE).

The DGSE had previously acknowledged that it had seen a surge of interest in its work thanks to the hugely popular TV drama “Le Bureau des Légendes”.

Pailloux was speaking as 65,000 school pupils took part in an annual competition in France, with the backing of the DGSE, in decoding and cryptography.