Category Archives: mass surveillance

Data retention / Human rights / Intelligence and security agencies / interception / Jurisdiction / mass surveillance / national security / Security / terrorism

Questions on UK bulk communications data capabilities referred to the EU Court of Justice

Posted on by • 1 Comment

The validity of EU Member State legislation to collect and analyse bulk communications (meta)data about us by the security agencies continues to be vexed by questions over the application of EU privacy law requirements The UK Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) has this month referred questions to the EU Court of Justice (CJEU) in a decision … Continue reading →

Human rights / mass surveillance / safe harbour / Surveillance

CJEU rules EU-Canada PNR Agreement incompatible with EU Charter rights to privacy and personal data protection

Posted on by • Leave a comment

EU data protection/privacy laws continue to keep this international Air Passenger data agreement ‘grounded from taking flight’, but what effect could the decision have on similar data agreements already concluded with the EU? On 26 July, the European Court of Justice (CJEU) declared that the EU-Canada Passenger Name Record (PNR) Agreement is incompatible with EU … Continue reading →

Access to data / content data / Data protection / Data retention / Internet intermediaries / ISPs / mass surveillance / metadata / national security

The CJEU in Tele2 Sverige: are general(ised) data retention obligations incompatible with EU law?

Posted on by • 6 Comments

Christmas was particularly festive for privacy advocates with the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) judgement in the joint cases C‑203/15 Tele2 Sverige AB v Postoch telestyrelsen and C‑698/15 Secretary of State for the Home Department v Secretary of State for the Home Department and the leak of the European Commission’s upgraded version … Continue reading →

Access to data / Data protection / IP Bill / mass surveillance / metadata / national security / Surveillance / terrorism

The IPT in Privacy International v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs: Is it saying the IPB should be welcome?

Posted on by • 3 Comments

The investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) delivered its judgment yesterday in the case Privacy International v. Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs et al. The skeleton arguments for the claimants and respondents can be accessed here. In a nutshell and as recalled by para. 3 of the judgement: “The proceedings were brought on 5th June … Continue reading →