Governments cannot have unrestricted access to phone and internet users’ data, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has determined, placing limitations on EU states’ ability to legally carry out bulk data collection.
The panel of 15 judges ruled that the indiscriminate and mass collection of telephone, internet and web communications traffic is not compatible with European law. The ECJ said governments could resort to such practices only if they face a “serious threat to national security.” However, even in the extreme circumstances in which bulk data collection is deemed warranted, such surveillance programs should be limited to a period that is “strictly necessary,” the court explained.
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