Data retention held unconstitutional in Slovenia
The Slovenian Constitutional Court has ruled data retention to be unconstitutional and ordered deletion of data collected under the law. Following an application by the Slovenian Information Commissioner the court held that data retention is disproportionate on the basis that: unselective retention of data in …
Romanian Constitutional Court holds data retention unconstitutional
Yesterday the Romanian Constitutional Court held – for the second time – that a national data retention law is unconstitutional (official press release, Romanian only). The ruling follows a 2009 decision of the Constitutional Court striking down an earlier law implementing the Data Retention Directive. …
Surveillance in Ireland: towards transparency
Where can you find the annual reports of the judges who oversee surveillance in Ireland? What is the agreement under which Irish ISPs provide communications data to gardaí? In what cases have the courts considered interception of communications under Irish law? What internal controls do …
Austrian Constitutional Court rules data retention unconstitutional
Congratulations to our Austrian friends and fellow plaintiffs before the European Court of Justice on today’s ruling from the Austrian Constitutional Court that their national data retention law is unconstitutional (German press release, PDF). It is a great success for a case brought by literally …
One year after Snowden: Where are we now?
It’s now a year since Edward Snowden went public with evidence of mass surveillance and extensive abuses by the NSA, GCHQ and other intelligence agencies. What has changed since then? A global study published today examines responses by governments, parliaments, media and others, finding that …
ECJ says: EU-mandated mass surveillance “entails an interference with the fundamental rights of practically the entire European population”
Europe’s highest court has given a judgement in the challenge taken by Irish human rights advocacy group Digital Rights Ireland (DRI) to the EU’s regime of Data Retention and mass surveillance. The Court has found that data retention “entails a wide-ranging and particularly serious interference …
Tomorrow’s ECJ judgment: Q&A
Tomorrow the European Court of Justice will give judgment in our case challenging mass surveillance under the Data Retention Directive. Here’s a summary of the background. What is the case about? It’s a challenge to data retention – i.e. laws which require ISPs and mobile …
We need your help to keep working for European digital rights in 2014
2013 was a big year for digital rights and for Digital Rights Ireland in particular. We had a major success with our case against mass surveillance which led to an Advocate-General’s opinion that the Data Retention Directive is incompatible with the European Charter of Fundamental …
European Court ruling condemns mass surveillance
The Advocate General of the European Court of Justice today gave an important opinion in our favour in a case brought by Digital Rights Ireland to challenge European mass surveillance law. The challenge – which we started in 2006 – is to the Data Retention …
Testifying before the Oireachtas Social Media hearings
DRI was represented today by TJ McIntyre and Fergal Crehan before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and Communications which is currently holding a series of hearings on “Social Media Ethics and Regulation”. There’s a good summary of the proceedings in the Irish Times but …
Data retention threatens journalists also
Henry McDonald in today’s Guardian has an alarming story about Garda surveillance of crime journalists, including routine monitoring of their mobile phone calls and messages: Journalists in Ireland have raised concerns about the country’s draconian gagging orders on police officers talking to the media, including …
Innovation, Information and the Internet: Modernising Copyright Law
DRI is organising a conference on copyright reform this Friday (21st October) and would encourage anyone with an interest in the topic to attend. The event is free and you can register online at http://www.dublincopyrightconference.com/. Full details: Innovation, Information and the Internet: Modernising Copyright Law …
