A Dutch court early this week gave privacy advocates a victory by bringing down a data retention law that allows government agencies access to any telecommunication data.
The Hague district court said the law was in violation of privacy rights and the right to personal data protection.
The latest ruling is a big blow to the Dutch government, which said the law was essential to combat crime and terrorism. But it’s a win for privacy advocates, lawyers, and journalists who said the law was unconstitutional since data is stored regardless if the citizen is a suspect or not.
The ruling is effective immediately, prompting telecommunication firms to no longer gather and store data.
The government was previously reluctant to trash the law for national security reasons. Authorities are aggressively seeking ways to expand surveillance capabilities following the latest attacks in Copenhagen and Paris, and an increasing number of radical Muslims who were born or grew up in Europe.
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