The EU bans mass data collection via mobile and internet

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European Union

Mass data collection over telephones or the Internet It is not something new, since it is an issue that affects users in Spain and that we have discussed on more than one occasion. The European Union has finally made it official that mass data collection via the Internet and mobiles is something illegal, a victory for the privacy of citizens. This is a ruling issued by the Court of Justice of the EU.

Only in those cases where there is a threat to national security of EU member states will be allowed. Although even in such situations a judge will need to approve such data collection, to keep privacy as a priority.

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The European Union thus implements an important privacy measure, which in this case comes after a series of organizations such as Privacy International and La Quadrature du Net exposed the mass surveillance practices that were going too far in some countries such as Belgium, France or the United Kingdom, thus violating the fundamental rights of citizens.

This ruling seeks to make it clear to governments that they will not be able to ask the operators for this data, except in exceptional cases. In addition, the way in which companies in the United States send data from European users to the United States had already been restricted for months, since this way of working meant that European users did not have resources to fight against such data collection. It was then decided that American national security laws do not protect the privacy of European citizens. A decision that has made firms like Facebook threaten to leave Europe.

If permission is obtained, the European Union has made it clear that these data will be store only for the minimum necessary time. If necessary, because the situation requires it, this period could be renewed. Although this is something that will be examined in each individual case, to see if it is something that applies.

 

Data collection ends in this way massive in the EU, preventing operators from carrying out these data collections through their clients’ connections, both traffic and location. Only in specific cases will it be possible, with the approval of a judge. A victory for the privacy of citizens in Europe.

The entry The EU prohibits the collection of massive data through mobile and Internet appears first in The Free Android.