Without a Computer, No More Access to Public Services? The Urgency of the Right to Remain Offline

Booking an appointment at the prefecture, applying for social assistance, filing your taxes… today, most of these procedures are done online. For many, this makes life easier, but for others, it is a real obstacle. It is in this context that the idea of a right to remain offline is emerging: the possibility for everyone to continue accessing public services without being required to use the Internet.

Field

Inclusion

Keywords

Digital mediation

By Hélène Granet

February 16, 2026

9 min

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Crédit : Getty Images

What is the right to remain offline?

A simple observation: the digitization of public services is one of the goals set by the State to improve service quality for users. But when it is not accompanied by alternatives, it can worsen inequalities in access to rights. As a result, it increases digital vulnerability.

The right to remain offline does not aim to reject digital technology, but to affirm that public services must remain accessible to everyone, regardless of age, income level, or digital skills. It means allowing every citizen to choose how they wish to contact public administration: online, by phone, at a service desk, or by mail.

As early as 2019, the Defender of Rights (an independent administrative authority responsible for ensuring respect for citizens’ rights and freedoms) warned about the risks of exclusion linked to digitization and recommended maintaining alternatives in order to uphold the core principles of public service: equality and continuity. For its part, in 2023, the European Parliament called on Member States to move from a logic of “fully digitized” public services to “fully accessible” services, which therefore implies preserving non-digital channels.

Case study: the example of Écully and the Lyon Metropolitan Area

The study conducted by the Urban Planning Agency of the Lyon Metropolitan Area and surrounding territories (Urbalyon) focuses on the municipality of Écully, particularly the priority neighborhood Les Sources – Le Pérollier. It combines the perspectives of residents and professionals in social services and digital mediation.

In Écully, the situation varies between the municipality as a whole and the Les Sources – Le Pérollier neighborhood, which is characterized by:

  • deteriorated social and economic conditions,
  • a significant number of single-parent families,
  • more residents experiencing long-term unemployment and lower levels of education,
  • a notable proportion of foreign nationals, sometimes less comfortable with the French language,
  • an aging population.

These social vulnerabilities add to digital difficulties. According to social support professionals, part of the population was autonomous before digitization but no longer is today. When procedures are almost entirely digitized, the most common administrative steps become real obstacle courses.

In the study, residents and professionals were invited to imagine what the implementation of a genuine right to remain offline would change in Écully. They highlighted the benefits of:

  • A single, clearly identified physical reception point, with extended hours, accessible without having to book an appointment online.
  • Fixed and mobile service points within the priority neighborhood, so that access to rights is not conditioned on the ability to travel.
  • Paper forms once again available and accepted, with adapted processing times.
  • Staff trained in social mediation, stabilized in their positions in order to build trust-based relationships.

This projection shows that the right to remain offline would require a significant reorganization of local public services, far beyond a simple technical adjustment.

A necessary right, but difficult to implement

The interest in such a right, widely shared, goes beyond the local or regional scale.

Expected benefits

All stakeholders concerned see the right to remain offline as a lever to:

  • Ensure equal access: not losing a right (minimum income benefit, pension, residence permit, housing, etc.) simply because one does not know how to use the Internet or does not own suitable equipment.
  • Reduce non-take-up: many people give up on online procedures deemed too complex or stressful. Human assistance helps them complete their applications.
  • Restore trust: face-to-face interaction allows questions to be asked, information to be verified, and mistakes to be corrected immediately. This reassures citizens, especially in sensitive procedures.
  • Better account for vulnerable groups: seniors, people with limited French proficiency, or people with disabilities—for them, digital tools can be a major barrier. Alternatives give them back control.

The main objective is therefore to restore choice to users, making digital tools an option rather than an obligation.

Main difficulties highlighted by professionals

The same stakeholders nevertheless point out that implementing the right to remain offline is complex because:

  • Human and financial resources are limited: maintaining service counters, outreach offices, and phone lines is costly and requires sufficient staffing, at a time when budgets are already constrained.
  • The existing organization is complex and unclear: many actors (municipalities, the Metropolitan authority, the State, public funds, associations) create referrals from one service to another—making the process difficult for users to understand.
  • There is a risk that paper procedures become a “slow lane”: if paper applications are processed more slowly than online ones, a two-speed administration emerges, penalizing the most vulnerable.
  • There is a strong need for staff training and stability: continuous training in reception and mediation is necessary, as well as limiting turnover in order to build trust with the public.
  • Technological developments such as AI and automation push toward further digitization: the right to remain offline may appear as a step backward.

Although desirable and fair, the right to remain offline therefore requires a genuine strategy in terms of resources, organization, and cooperation at all levels (local, regional, national) if it is not to remain merely a well-meaning principle.

Local initiatives developing the right to remain offline

Several cities and territories are developing similar initiatives. Villeurbanne (Rhône) is currently the most advanced example.

  1. Villeurbanne: pioneer of an “enforceable” right since October 2023

The city guarantees a non-digital alternative for each municipal procedure (around 100): physical counter service, dedicated phone line, or postal service. A concrete example: the online grant application platform is complemented by in-person assistance sessions for associations.

  1. “Zero Non-Take-Up Territories” program (39 pilot territories)

Launched in 2023 to reduce the abandonment of social benefits, with identification of concerned populations and the development of outreach services including strengthened mediation through physical reception. Examples include Vénissieux (Rhône), Bastia (Haute-Corse), and Arras (Pas-de-Calais).

  1. France Services Houses (more than 2,800 locations)

Local spaces bringing together 12 public administrations (Family Allowance Fund, France Travail, Public Finances, La Poste, etc.). They offer in-person support to complete online procedures and provide non-digital alternatives. Their goal: that everyone can meet, within 20 minutes of their home, a trained advisor who can help them fill out paper forms or make phone calls, without any obligation to use the Internet.

  1. Networks of committed cities (France urbaine, Cities Coalition for Digital Rights)

Local authorities such as Bordeaux, Nantes, Strasbourg, and Grenoble are studying the digital divide and developing hybrid reception models (both physical and digital). Their actions include mapping local stakeholders, training in digital rights, and dedicated service sessions for vulnerable groups.

On the same topic: Online procedures: who can help you complete them?

The right to remain offline: a political and social urgency

The right to remain offline does not mean rejecting the Internet; rather, it aims to guarantee real choice: everyone should be able to access public services through the channel that suits them best, according to their skills and preferences. In practical terms, reception practices must evolve so that non-digital channels are genuine alternatives, not downgraded options. To ensure no one is left behind, this right must be placed at the heart of public policy.

The stakes go far beyond the local dimension: they concern equal access to rights as a citizen, social cohesion, and trust in institutions. It is therefore urgent that policymakers at all levels take up the issue and turn it into a clear, funded, and sustainable reality—rather than a series of scattered experiments.

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