Surveillance State

The EU Data Retention Directive that requires large scale storage of internet 'traffic data' is disproportionate and likely to breach privacy protections under the European Convention of Human Rights.

Agree or Disagree?

Traffic data is retained in this context to support investigations into terrorism and other serious crimes. The Data Retention Directive is a bad piece of law, as recognised by EU Member States', including Austria and Sweden, refusal to implement because of conflicts with the privacy protections in their domestic constitutions.

Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights allows for the right to privacy to be rescinded in the case of risk of serious harm. However, large scale retention of traffic data for security purposes could be viewed as mass surveillance. This is yet to be tested, but a challenge may rise through the German courts.