Security News > 2020 > October > EU Court Curbs Mass Phone Data Grab by Spy Agencies
The EU's top court on Tuesday put limits on how European spy and security agencies could harvest troves of personal data, but said this could be done under a serious threat to national security.
At the request of the courts in France, Belgium and Britain, the European Court of Justice confirmed that "EU law precludes national legislation" that requires telcos and tech companies to carry out the "Indiscriminate retention" of data, a statement said.
The decision will be closely looked at by privacy activists who fear wide loopholes that would allow unfettered data spying by state agencies.
The legal onslaught began after revelations by Edward Snowden of mass digital spying by US agencies that also revealed cooperation with Washington by the UK's spy agencies.
The mass harvesting of data is a central part of anti-terror laws passed in several Western countries in the wake of September 11 and other attacks.