The German regulation on the mass retention of communications data which has been on hold since 2017 essentially violates EU law, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on Tuesday.
The retention of data such as IP addresses or location data is only allowed “in the case of a serious threat to national security,’’ an ECJ press release read.
The ruling relates to complaints from two internet providers: SpaceNet and Telekom.
The Federal Network Agency suspended the German regulation just days before it came into force after a German court ruled that internet provider SpaceNet could not be obliged to store the data.
Mass data retention without cause is highly controversial.
Some politicians saw it as an important tool in the fight against organised crime, child pornography and terrorism, while civil rights activists and consumer protection advocates consider it an invasion of privacy. (NAN)