EU Data Retention Directive Invalid

European Court of Justice C-293/12

The European Court of Justice has found the EU directive on data retention invalid. The directive obliges providers of electronic communications services, such as the mobile operators, to retain certain user data, including the schedule of a phone call or the called number.The Court held that by requiring the retention of those data and by allowing the competent national authorities to access those data, the directive interferes in a particularly serious manner with the fundamental rights to respect for private life and to the protection of personal data.