Data retention is the EU s most invasive tool

The EU’s rules on data retention, forged to combat terrorism, look to Data Protection Supervisor Peter Hustinx as “the most privacy-invasive instrument ever”.

Hustinx added that “There is no proof that the Directive is necessary as it is… We have a difficult balance to manage here: Is it acceptable to impose far-reaching retention schemes with view to a limited number of cases? Whether it makes sense in these cases needs to be analysed.”

But again: My position is that this is very invasive and so we need to insist on clarity and safeguards to make it acceptable.

The full interview to Hustinx is here. It’s too early to draw conclusions. For now the best we can hope is that negotiations about this Directive happen as transparently as possible.