EU’s Data Retention Ghost: A Comedy of Errors in Privacy Policy Resurrections
The European Commission is attempting to revive data retention policies in the EU, despite countless court rulings against them. A secretive group is pushing for increased surveillance measures, calling it “Going Dark.” EFF and others are urging the Commission to respect privacy and ditch the ghost of data retention.
Hot Take:
Well, looks like Europe is trying to make metadata retention the new black, even though it’s more like a fashion faux pas. Despite the Court of Justice of the European Union’s repetitive “no means no,” the European Commission is like that one friend who just won’t give up on wearing socks with sandals.
Key Points:
- The European Commission is pushing for EU-wide data retention mandates, despite past court rulings against it.
- A secretive High-Level Group (HLG) is driving the revival of data retention, claiming law enforcement is “going dark.”
- HLG’s recommendations include invasive measures like backdoors and real-time data interception.
- Civil society organizations, including EFF, oppose these proposals for infringing on fundamental rights.
- There’s a call for the EU to abandon data retention and focus on rights-respecting alternatives.
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