I was quite surprised to receive two flyers from local Controle Technique centres sent through the mail this week. They both quoted my car’s registration number, name and address and the imminent date of its first CT test. Both offered special CT € deals…
Does anyone know if details of CT tests, registration details etc are commonly made available to CT centres by the authorities? Or indeed available to anybody else?
Most garagistes and all CT centres can access the ANTS database. As do of course all police etc within europe. You can’t object to police/security access but I believe there may be a way you can restrict other access
Pour exercer vos droits d’accès, de rectification, de limitation et d’effacement (sous certaines conditions, art.17 du RGPD), vous devez vous adresser à :
Pour avoir accès à d’autres informations vous concernant ou concernant le traitement, vous pouvez saisir, en fournissant une preuve de votre identité (passeport, carte d’identité, titre de séjour ou justificatif d’identité établi via l’application France Identité), l’ANTS par courrier (ANTS – traitement SIV – 18 rue Irénée Carré – BP70474 – 08101 Charleville-Mézières) ou par mél à l’adresse suivante : donnees-personnelles-ants@interieur.gouv.fr.
And there are things like this around ( same as in UK you can see DVLA database to check that the brit registered cat outside the boulangerie every morning is illegal)
Never had that, but I do get a reminder for both cars from the CT centre we use.
When did the vehicle get into the French database under your name… ???
(I can’t recall if you imported it or bought it here… )
Yes, your information is available to certain parties… nothing underhand or iffy…
Choose the best offer and go get the vehicle booked-in for an appt before the due date … don’t let it over-run…
and don’t forget that appts are not always available “just like that…” although locally they will try and help anyone who is in the mire… 
Have had reminders for years, nothing new.
I think the difference here is that @George1 is receiving commercial offers from CT centres - and not necessarily centres at which he is already a customer.
Yes I had the same, from different stations too for several years. Obviously info being passed around the trades
Odd. It’s never happened to me…
Interestingly, the only notification I had this year was from our insurer offering a discount at specified CT centres. I suppose that’s because it’s the first CT for this particular car and, although I’d taken previous cars to the local CT centre, they possibly don’t know about thisone?
which is why I asked when he imported/bought the car…
It’s no big deal… it’s all on the computers these days… the Prefecture will have details of the vehicle and it’s latest Owner…
CT centres are linked-in…
We bought it last July second hand from a Renault dealer in Dieppe, and it’s due its first CT next month. @_Brian is right that these aren’t reminders from existing CT centres used in the past…
Thanks for everyone’s information. It hadn’t really occurred to me (not being very familiar with the scope of ANTS) that this sort of information is legitimately available to garagistes/CT centres etc…I can’t complain, and I guess there are possibly even some who might ‘forget’ to have their CT, so flyers/reminders are no doubt useful prompts.
So the CGrise was changed into your name last July…
This is why you’ve received the notification and not the previous Owner…
Once you’ve had the CT done, you will be reminded by that centre… wherever it might be.
You don’t have to have the CT done at your local… you can choose anywhere you like… but you’ll still be in the official computer… and you might still get bumpf from your locals…
Incidentally… your info won’t be spread to garagistes… just available to the CT centre(s) nearest the registered address of the vehicle…
Whether they automatically get updates from the gov site, I am unclear… I can ask my CT Examiner pal when next passing… he’s used to my odd questions
Thanks Stella, that would be interesting to learn…
Some garagistes can certainly access ANTS database.
Indeed they can… the ones that will changes one’s CGrise for example…
So do I, and well enough in advance to choose the last possible day (to preserve the full 2 year term) and the cheapest option time of day. 
Righto… just got back from a delightful trip to Perigueux, which gave me the opportunity to drop in and chat with our CT Examiner…
Hmmm… I explained, briefly, about the CT Reminder/Offer arriving out of the blue and how we (on SF) want to know…
Is the info about a vehicle available/sold to someone/anyone??
He looked glum and cross… a sort of mixture… and said
Yes… all information (from whatever source) is available to the highest bidder!!!
The Big Societies, (as he called them)… they pay large sums for lists of information… they sift through it… and sell it on to interested commercial ventures…
He perked up a little, as he told me.
Be firm!
There is always a box which one ticks to deny making one’s information Public… on every bit of official paperwork you do!!
Tell your folk to look for that box and always tick it… and make sure you do too !!!
so, everything… elect, gas, water, vehicles, phones, internet etc etc etc… I presume.
I’ve certainly noticed the box on some things, even ticked-it now and then… I’ll be more careful in future.
Stella, thank you so much for taking the time and trouble to pursue this issue (and glad you had a good trip to Perigueux). The information and advice you received is very helpful.
Assuming what your CT examiner says is true (and no reason to doubt it) I’m astonished that the reselling of personal data is permitted under GDPR. I thought that one of the core GDPR principles is that personal data belongs to the individual concerned (bar certain specific exceptions). The default (I understood) is that the data cannot be onsold etc unless the individual specifically agrees. It’s the opposite of what seems to be taking place here where the individual has to actively elect NOT to have their data transferred to others.
I’ve seen the absolutely tiny box to tick (eg on charity donations forms), and have previously commented on this forum about charities enthusiasm for passing on my details to others without my knowledge or consent. I will certainly be ticking any tiny boxes (that I notice!) going forward…
The rules changed a while ago… and “all bets are off” if you don’t tick that privacy box…
Incidentally, my CT man is “tried and trusted”. If he says something… it’s correct… whether I like it or not
I have done some more digging…
It appears that the companies who own CT centres have to have been specifically licensed by the Ministry of the Interior to use drivers personal data from the Service Immatriculation Vehicles. They are ‘only’ permitted to use that data for answering enquiries and for commercial use. To stop the use of their personal data being passed to third parties, individuals need to create or access an account with ANTS to register their objections (or write to them). I will create an ANTS account…