Data Retention Directive

Citation

Directive 2006/24/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2006 on the retention of data generated or processed in connection with the provision of publicly available electronic communications services or of public communications networks and amending Directive 2002/58/EC (Data Retention Directive), Off. J.L. 105, at 54-56 (May 15, 2006) (full-text).

Overview

According to the Directive, Member States must store citizens' telecommunications data for 6-24 months stipulating a maximum time period. Under the Directive the police and security agencies may request access to details such as the IP address and the time of every email, phone call and text message sent or received. Permission to access the information can be granted only by a court order.

The Directive describes the data to be retained from telecommunication systems and services. It describes what data should be available for international (EU) exchange under mutual legal assistance treaties. The Directive therefore can also be seen as the mandatory set of data to be retained on a national basis.