Resources

List of documents relating to communications data retention in the EU

EU bodies

• Commission: Replies to parliamentary questions on data retention (link takes a while to load)
• Commission (Video): EU ultimatum to Germany to transpose the Data Retention Directive (22 Mar 2012)
• Commission: Consultation on reform of Data Retention Directive: emerging themes and next steps (15 Dec 2011)
• Cecilia Malmström: Letter of 31 Oct 2011 to EDRi
  • in response to Letter of 38 NGOs concerning the impact assessment for the new legislative proposal (26 Sep 2011)
• Commission: Discussion paper for the Workshop with Representatives of the Judiciary on Future Options for Data Retention in the EU (19 September 2011), view online
• Cecilia Verkleij (DG Home): Presentation on the state of play of the revision of the Data Retention Directive (7 September 2011)
• Commission: Proposal for a review of Directive 2006/24/EC (Data Retention) (June 2011)
• European Data Protection Supervisor: Opinion on the Evaluation report on the Data Retention Directive (30/05/2011)
• Council: Summary of discussions of the Council Working Party on Data Protection and Information Exchange on 4 May 2011 (30/05/2011)
• Council Presidency: Discussion paper on data retention (27/04/2011)
• Commission: Evaluation Report COM(2011) 225 final (18.4.2011)
  • Cecilia Malmström: Speech given at presentation of report
  • Cecilia Malmström: Video recording of press conference (Download)
  • DG Home: Press release
  • Commission: Frequently Asked Questions: Evaluation report of the Data Retention Directive
• Cecilia Malmström: "Data retention is useful for solving crimes" (18 April 2011)
• Commission: Press release "Data Retention: Commission refers Sweden back to Court for failing to transpose EU legislation" (06/04/2011)
• DG Home: Letter to NGO dated 13 January 2011 in reply to our letter dated 15 November 2010 to Cecilia Malmström
• Commission: Report on the data retention conference: Taking on the data retention directive (14 Feb 2011)
• DG Sanco: Letter to NGO sent in January of 2011 in reply to our Letter dated 15 November 2011
• Cecilia Malmström: Speech given at conference "Taking on the Data Retention Directive" (3 December 2010)
• EDPS: Speech given at conference "Taking on the Data Retention Directive" (3 December 2010)
• Commission: Invitation to conference "Taking on the data retention directive" on 3 December 2010 and detailed Discussion Paper (October 2010)
  • Conference Website
  • Conference report (14 Feb 2011)
• Experts' Group Electronic Data Retention: Closer understanding of the term 'Data security' in relation to its application in Directive 2006/24/EC (Series A Document 7, 11 October 2010)
• Experts' Group Electronic Data Retention: Closer understanding of the possibilities of providers to store traffic data in a Member State other than the Member State of origin of the data ('Central data storage') in relation to its application in Directive 2006/24/EC (Series A Document 6, 11 October 2010)
• Commission: Proposal for a review of Directive 2006/24/EC (Data Retention) (09/2010)
• Cecilia Malmström: Letter to NGO dated 7 October 2010 in reply to our Letter dated 3 September 2010
• DG Infosoc: Letter to NGO dated 6 October 2010 in reply to our Letter dated 3 September 2010
• Commission: Progress Report on the Single European Electronic Communications Market (25 August 2010) containing information regarding the transposition of the data retention directive in each EU Member State
• Commission: Examples of Member States detecting cases of serious crime via data retention (26 July 2010, p. 36)
• Commission: Letter to Member States dated 27 July 2010 asking for more information regarding data retention
• Article 29 Data Protection Working Group: Report 01/2010 on the second joint enforcement action: Compliance at national level of Telecom Providers and ISPs with the obligations required from national traffic data retention legislation on the legal basis of articles 6 and 9 of the e-Privacy Directive 2002/58/EC and the Data Retention Directive 2006/24/EC amending the e-Privacy Directive (13 July 2010)
  • Annex to report
• Cecilia Malmström: "This directive is something member states want" (30 June 2010)
• Cecilia Malmström: Letter to NGO dated 12 July 2010 in reply to the Joint letter of 100 NGOs dated 22 June 2010
• Viviane Reding: Letter to NGO dated 7 July 2010 in reply to the Joint letter of 100 NGOs dated 22 June 2010
• Commission: Draft evaluation report regarding the data retention directive (April 2010)
• Cecilia Malmström: Repealing the directive "not feasible" (2 March 2010)
• Experts' Group Electronic Data Retention: Webmail and web-based messaging (Series A Document 1, 3 December 2009 and Annex)
• Experts' Group Electronic Data Retention: Obligation to retain e-mail logs – when records of spam e-mails be retained? (Series A Document 2, 16 July 2009)
• Experts' Group Electronic Data Retention: Closer understanding of the term 'transit providers' in relation to its application in Directive 2006/24/EC (Series A Document 3, 3 December 2009)
• Experts' Group Electronic Data Retention: Closer understanding of the term 'internet telephony' in relation to its application in Directive 2006/24/EC (Series A Position Paper 5 and Series B Position Paper 5A, 3 December 2009)
• Experts' Group Electronic Data Retention: Closer understanding of the term 'third party networks and service providers' in relation to its application in Directive 2006/24/EC (Series A Position Paper 4, 23 July 2009)
• Commission: Report of the data retention conference "Towards the evaluation of the data retention directive" on 14 May 2009 (6 July 2009)
• Platform on electronic data retention: Opinions regarding the interpretation of the data retention directive (2009)
• Informal Data Retention Experts Group: Minutes of Meeting of 2 April 2008
• Article 29 Data Protection Working Group: Opinion 3/2006 (25 March 2006) "The Working Party questions whether the justification for an obligatory and general data retention coming from the competent authorities in Member States is grounded on crystal-clear evidence ... The decision to retain communication data for the purpose of combating serious crime is an unprecedented one with a historical dimension. It encroaches into the daily life of every citizen and may endanger the fundamental values and freedoms all European citizens enjoy and cherish."
• EU: Final text of data retention directive (15 March 2006)
• Cecilia Malmström, MEP: Written statement on data retention (14 December 2005)
• European Parliament: Results of vote on the data retention directive (14 December 2005)
• European Parliament: Written declarations pertaining to the vote on the data retention directive (14 December 2005)
• European Parliament: Debate on the data retention directive (13 December 2005)
  • Video recording of debate: Part 1, Part 2
• EDPS: Opinion (29 November 2005)
• European Parliament, LIBE committee: Report (28 November 2005)
• Commission: Questions and Answers on Data Retention (26 October 2005)
• Alexander Alvaro: Draft LIBE report (19 October 2005) exempting Internet data
• European Parliament: Resolution (27 September 2005) rejecting the proposed framework decision
• Commission: Impact assessment (21 September 2005)
• Commission: Draft data retention directive (21 September 2005)
• Cecilia Malmström, MEP: Comment on data retention (7 September 2005)
• European Parliament, LIBE committee: Report (31 May 2005) rejecting the proposed framework decision
• Alexander Alvaro: Draft LIBE report concerning the proposed framework decision (18 April 2005)
• Commission: Legal analysis SEC(2005)420 (French, 22 March 2005)
• France/Ireland/Sweden/UK: Explanatory Memorandum concerning the draft Framework Decision on the Retention of Communications Data (20 December 2004)
• Article 29 Data Protection Working Group: Opinion 4/2005 (21 October 2005) "The routine, comprehensive storage of all traffic data, user and participant data proposed in the draft decision would make surveillance that is authorised in exceptional circumstances the rule. This would clearly be disproportionate."
• Article 29 Data Protection Working Group: Opinion 5/2002 (11 October 2002) "The European Data Protection Commissioners have repeatedly emphasized that such retention would be an improper invasion of the fundamental rights guaranteed to individuals by Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, as further elaborated by the European Court of Human Rights (see Opinion 4/2001 of the Article 29 Working Party established by Directive 95/46/EC, and Declaration of Stockholm, April 2000)."
• US President: Letter requesting "the retention of critical data for a reasonable period" (26 October 2001)

Member states

• Hungary: Discussion Paper concerning Evaluation Report (27 April 2011)
• Poland: Data retention statistics 2009
• Commission: Letter to Member States dated 27 July 2010 asking for more information regarding data retention
  • NGO: Critical comments dated 6 October 2010
  • BE
  • CY: Doc 1, Doc 2
  • CZ
  • FI
  • GR
  • HU
  • IE
  • LT
  • LU
  • LV: Doc 1 Doc 2
    
  • NL: Doc 1, Doc 2, Doc 3, Doc 4
    
  • PL
  • SE: Doc 1, Doc 2
  • SI
  • UK
• #Responses to 2009 EU consultation on data retention

NGOs

• AK Vorrat: Reply to CEPS Questionnaire on the Data Retention Directive (23 Mar 2012)
• AK Vorrat: Criminologists: No "security gap" without blanket communications data retention (8 Feb 2012)
• Statewatch: Mandatory data retention: update and developments (9 Dec 2011)
• US Center for Democracy & Technology: Data retention mandates - a threat to privacy, free expression and business development (Oct 2011)
• Letter of 38 NGOs concerning the impact assessment for the new legislative proposal (26 Sep 2011)
• Joint Position on the revision of the EU Data Retention Directive (15 Jul 2011)
• Centre for European Policy: Data Retention Directive Policy Brief (16 Jun 2011)
• AK Vorrat: The impact of blanket data retention on serious crime in Germany, May 2011
• EDRi: Shadow evaluation report on the Data Retention Directive (2006/24/EC), 17 April 2011 and press release
• AK Vorrat: Background information and facts concerning the Evaluation of the Data Retention Directive 2006/24/EC, 17 April 2011, layouted version and press release
• European Federation of Journalists: Contribution to Review of the Data Retention Directive, 10 February 2011
• Open letter of representatives of Romanian NGOs demanding the annulation of data retention in Europe (19.01.2011)
• Video: Presentation "Data Retention in the EU five years after the Directive" (30 Dec 2010) - Axel (Bits of Freedom, NL), Katarzyna (Panoptykon Foundation, PL), Patrick and Ralf (AK Vorrat, DE) explain why 2011 will be a crucial year in the battle against data retention and blanket surveillance. Slides (pdf)
• Jonas/AK Vorrat: Presentation at conference "Taking on the Data Retention Directive": pdf, ppt (3 December 2010)
• Axel Barnbak/Bits of Freedom: Speech given at conference "Taking on the Data Retention Directive" (3 December 2010)
• AK Vorrat: Letter dated 15 November 2010 to Cecilia Malmström and DG Home: Reply dated 13 January 2011
• AK Vorrat: Letter dated 3 September 2010 to Cecilia Malmström and Cecilia Malmström: Reply dated 7 October 2010
• AK Vorrat: Critical comments on evaluation method dated 6 October 2010
• Joint letter of 100 NGOs dated 22 June 2010 and replies by Cecilia Malmström dated 12 July 2010 and Viviane Reding dated 7 July 2010
• Presentations at conference "Data retention on the Internet" on 19 September 2008 in Budapest, contributors including Kristina Irion (Central European University), David Riphagen (Technical University Delft), Marek Tichy (Association for Progressive Communication), Ivan Szekely (Budapest University of Technology), Patrick Breyer (AK Vorrat), TJ McIntyre (Digital Rights Ireland), Eva Simon (HCLU), Helena Svatosova (IuRe), Gabor Gulyas (Budapest University of Technology), Meryem Marzouki (European Digital Rights), Ralf Bendrath (Technical University Delft / AK Vorrat)

Responses to 2009 EU consultation on data retention

• Data protection agencies
  • Cyprus
  • Finland
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Italy
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Malta
  • Netherlands
  • Portugal
  • Rumania
  • UK
• Governments
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Bulgaria
  • Czech Republic
  • Cyprus
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Ireland
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
• Business
  • CableEurope, GSMA Europe, EuroISPA, ECTA and ETNO
  • Cable&Wireless (appendix)
  • Cyta, MTN-Telecommunication, Logosnet
  • KPN
  • Prism
  • Sonaecom
  • TeliaSonera
  • TP S.A., Polkomtel S.A., PTC Sp. z o.o.
  • Wind
• NGOs
  • Arbeitskreis Vorratsdatenspeicherung (english summary)
  • ICRI-K.U.Leuven 

source

Courts

• Czech Constututional Court: Judgement of 31 March 2011 annulling data retention legislation for violating fundamental rights
  • EU translation of the judgement
• Irish High Court: Judgement of 5 May 2010 granting motion for a reference to the ECJ under Article 267 TFEU
  • Text of questions to be referred to ECJ (27 Mar 2012)
• German Federal Constitutional Court: Judgement of 2 March 2010 annulling data retention legislation for violating fundamental rights
  • NGO: Constitutional complaint filed against German Telecomms Data Retention Act (2007-12-31)
  • NGO: Historic class-action lawsuit filed against telecommunications data collection (2008-02-29)
  • NGO: Data retention in Germany partly suspended by Constitutional Court - NGO demands resignation of... (2008-03-19)
  • German Federal Constitutional Court: Application for a temporary injunction in the matter of "data retention" succeeds in part (19 Mar 2008)
  • NGO: European NGOs ask Court to annul data retention directive (2008-04-08)
  • NGO: Data retention: Second proceeding expected after advocate general's opinion (14-10-2008)
  • German Federal Constitutional Court: Extended application for a temporary injunction in the matter of "data retention" succeeds in part (6 Nov 2008)
  • NGO: After ruling on data retention: activists remain confident (10 Feb 2009)
  • NGO: Administrative Court: Data retention is "invalid" (16 Mar 2009)
  • NGO: After data retention ruling - Civil liberties activists call for political end to data retention (2 March 2010)
• Constitutional Court of Romania: Judgement of 8 October 2009 annulling data retention legislation for violating fundamental rights
  • Private translation of the judgement
• Supreme Court of Argentina: Judgement of 24 February 2009 annulling data retention legislation for violating fundamental rights
  • Judgement of second instance (29 November 2005): full text in Spanish, English machine translation
• EU Court of Justice: Action of annulment for lack of legal basis (C-301/06)
  • Ireland 11/07/2006
  • Council 21/09/2006
  • Parliament 28/11/2006
  • Ireland 28/11/2006
  • Council 05/02/2007
  • Parliament 07/02/2007
  • Slovak Republic 19/04/2007
  • Commission 10/05/2007
  • Spain 14/05/2007
  • Netherlands 16/05/2007
  • EDPS 16/05/2007
  • Parliament 17/09/2007
  • Summary
  • EDPS pleadings 01/06/2008
  • Advocate General 14/10/2008
  • Judgement 10/02/2009
• Advocate General: Opinion of 18 July 2007 - "It may be doubted whether the storage of traffic data of all users without any concrete suspicions – laying in a stock, as it were – is compatible with fundamental rights"

See also

• Materialien - German list of documents regarding data retention
• DR-FAQ - Questions and answers regarding data retention from a civil liberties perspective
• DR-Action-Plan
• EU
• Figures
• Overview of national data retention policies
• Statewatch Observatory - The surveillance of telecommunications in the EU