Well, some have always suspected what Austria’s Die Presse has recently reported thereby quoting an official.
The gentleman in question is Christian Pilnacek who is the Head of the Criminal Procedure Department within the Austrian Ministry of Justice. When asked by a journalist, he confirmed the information, according to which the data retention provisions’ applicability should not be limited to only so called “serious crimes”. The latter is, by the way, what the Directive 2006/24 requires. It has been said that this idea has originated in the Ministry of Justice and has found support in the Ministry of Interior. Moreover, in the officials’ view retained data should be accessible in the prosecution of minor crimes and/or in dealing with civil wrongs and hence would perfectly fit in the scope of the provisions conveyed by the Enforcement Directive.
Now the show is over. Seemingly, the entertainment business’ lobbyists have done a good job for their clients. See whether the idea shall prove capable of gaining a legislative majority.
Related posts:
- Will the data retention directive be fully implemented across Europe?
- Austrian Supreme Court holds that ISP is not obliged to provide copyright enforcer with file-sharing user’s data.
- Will the data retention directive be fully implemented across Europe: a reprise.
- Austria’s data protection council disfavours new bill on data retention
- Data retention in Austria becomes even likelier
[...] of data retention has always been justified with combating terrorism and serious crimes, but it aims to fight file-sharing users [...]
It is commonly known that though technology liberates us, it also on the other hand provides unthinkable tools in the hands of the government to increasingly control us.
I agree. Nevertheless, I expected the government not to maintain a hidden agenda on this point.