December 15, 2021 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Data protection standards | Privacy and confidentiality | Surveillance and data retention

EU: Data retention strikes back? Options for mass telecoms surveillance under discussion again

In June 2021 the European Commission sought the views of member states on ways to reintroduce the bulk retention of telecoms traffic, location and internet connection data on everyone in the EU. Responses from seven member states, published here, show a divergence of views on what data to retain and when, but a majority in favour of new EU legislation.

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March 27, 2013 · Blogs

Slovenia: Information Commissioner challenges the data retention law

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Slowenien: Datenschutzbeauftragter stellt Vorratsdatenspeicherung in Frage | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_11.6_Slowenien_Datenschutzbeauftragter_stellt_Vorratsdatenspeicherung_in_Frage?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20130327] The Information Commissioner of the Republic of Slovenia challenged on 19 March 2013 the national implementation of data retention directive before the Constitutional Court. The Information Commissioner holds that the data retention provisions of the Act on Electronic Communications (ZEKom-1), […]

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March 7, 2018 · On the ground | Privacy and data protection | Surveillance and data retention

Portugal: Data retention sent to the Constitutional Court

A new chapter is expected to soon be written in the long battle between lawmakers and the Constitutional Court in Portugal, regarding the intelligence services’ access to data retention. In January 2018, 35 Members of the Parliament (MP) from three parties officially requested the Constitutional Court to provide a rule on the constitutionality of the […]

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April 25, 2012

Thousands of Austrians standing up against data retention

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Tausende Österreicher wehren sich gegen die Vorratsdatenspeicherung | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_10.8_Tausende_Oesterreicher_wehren_sich_gegen_die_Vorratsdatenspeicherung?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20120507] Two parallel initiatives by the Austrian AK Vorrat (working group data retention) are impressively supported by the general public. On the one hand, the citizens initiative for the abolishment of the EU data retention directive and the evaluation of […]

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January 28, 2015 · Blogs

Data retention in Kosovo and Switzerland – legalising illegal laws

Less than a year ago, many thought data retention in Europe would finally be faced with incontrovertible evidence that it is not effective or proportionate. Now, sensing an opportunity to take advantage of a more favourable public relations landscape, some politicians seem to have the intention to bring EU data retention back again. Data retention […]

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December 2, 2009

Romanian Constitutional Court decision against data retention

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Urteil des rumänischen Verfassungsgerichts gegen Vorratsdatenspeicherung| http://www.unwatched.org/node/1607] The decision of the Romanian Constitutional Court (CCR) against the data retention law was finally published in the Official Monitor on 23 November 2009. The motivation of the court, which was made public only with a few days before its publication […]

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March 12, 2008

German constitutional challenge on Data Retention

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) The complaint challenging the German data retention law in front of the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe has become the biggest constitutional case in German history with the submission of more than 34000 signatures backing up the action. The Working Group on Data Retention has also prepared […]

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January 29, 2020 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Data protection standards | Surveillance and data retention

Data retention: “National security” is not a blank cheque

On 15 January, Advocate General (AG) Campos Sánchez-Bordona of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) delivered his opinions on four cases regarding data retention regimes in France, Belgium and the UK, in the context of these Members States’ surveillance programmes.

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December 2, 2015 · Blogs

EU Council on Data Retention: “Can we please just have it back?”

One and a half years after the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) invalidated the Data Retention Directive, the idea of having an EU data retention instrument is back on the table. On 8 September 2015, officials from the European Commission (EC) told EDRi that, despite the evidence that we provided of the […]

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April 6, 2011

ENDitorial: Data retention: Is the EC trying to dig itself out of a hole?

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [ENDitorial: Vorratsdaten – Versucht sich die Kommission selbst aus dem Sumpf zu ziehen? | http://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_9.7_Vorratsdaten_Versucht_sich_die_Kommission_selbst_aus_dem_Sumpf_zu_ziehen] The Data Retention Directive was adopted in 2006 in very controversial circumstances. Article 15 of the Directive placed a clear obligation on the European Commission (EC), to submit “no later than 15 September […]

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July 11, 2018 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Surveillance and data retention

Danish High Court ruling on data retention use and file sharing cases

On 7 May 2018, the Eastern High Court in Denmark delivered a ruling that internet service providers (ISPs) are not required to disclose subscriber information in file sharing cases.

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November 4, 2009

ISPs Meeting sparks debate over Dutch Data Retention obligations

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Treffen der ISPs heizt Debatte über niederländische Vorratsdatenspeicherung an | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1569] Dutch government agencies held a meeting on 14 October 2009 with internet service providers, looking for ways to clarify the data retention obligations under the country’s new Data Retention Act. After the meeting, ISPs still face uncertainty […]

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