PARIS — Prosecutors have placed three senior Ikea executives in France under investigation amid allegations that they authorized illegal spying on employees and customers.

The well-publicized case has raised uneasy questions here about the sharing of data between law enforcement and businesses. French prosecutors said this week that the chief executive of Ikea France, Stefan Vanoverbeke, and two other people were being investigated for possible involvement in a conspiracy to collect a range of personal information, including criminal records, automobile registrations and property records.

The prosecutors said the information was collected to check on employees or to reveal unflattering background information about customers bringing complaints or lawsuits against Ikea, a Swedish home furnishings giant with operations in more than 40 countries.

Mr. Vanoverbeke’s predecessor as chief executive, Jean-Louis Baillot, and Ikea France’s current chief financial officer, Dariusz Rychert, were also placed under investigation, as were two unnamed police officers. Ikea France itself has been ordered to post a bond of 500,000 euros, or $673,000, while the inquiry continues, raising the possibility that the company could face legal action as well.