SAFARI was an attempt by the French government, under the presidency of Georges Pompidou, to create a centralized database of personal data. The database was supposed to interconnect data, in particular through the use of the INSEE code (also used as a Social Security number).
On March 21, 1974 an article in the newspaper Le Monde brought public attention to the project. The massive popular rejection of this project promoted the creation of the CNIL to ensure data privacy.
SAFARI stands for Système Automatisé pour les Fichiers Administratifs et le Répertoire des Individus, "Automated System for Administrative Files and the Repertory of Individuals".
References
SAFARI Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA