EU court curbs mass phone data grab by spy agencies
The European Union's top court ruled on Tuesday that unrestrained mass surveillance of phone and internet data is unlawful, in a move which could curb the powers of spying agencies in France and other EU countries.
- World
- AFP
- Published Date: 11:39 | 06 October 2020
- Modified Date: 11:47 | 06 October 2020
The EU's top court on Tuesday put limits on how European spy and security agencies could harvest troves of personal data, but said this could be done when faced with a serious threat to national security.
At the request of the courts in France, Belgium and Britain, the European Court of Justice confirmed that "EU law precludes national legislation" that requires telcos and tech companies to carry out the "indiscriminate retention" of data, a statement said
However, it does allow for exemptions in cases of "serious threat to national security" or the "fight against serious crime", under the supervision of a judge or an independent administrative authority.