03/02/2020
CURIA - Documents
those relating to the retention of data for the purpose of combating crime, fall within the scope of that directive,
since it expressly authorises the Member States to adopt them only if the conditions laid down in the directive are
met.
Further, the legislative measures referred to in Article 15(1) of Directive 2002/58 govern, for the purposes
mentioned in that provision, the activity of providers of electronic communications services. Accordingly,
Article 15(1), read together with Article 3 of that directive, must be interpreted as meaning that such legislative
measures fall within the scope of that directive.
The scope of that directive extends, in particular, to a legislative measure, such as that at issue in the main
proceedings, that requires such providers to retain traffic and location data, since to do so necessarily involves the
processing, by those providers, of personal data.
The scope of that directive also extends to a legislative measure relating, as in the main proceedings, to the access
of the national authorities to the data retained by the providers of electronic communications services.
The protection of the confidentiality of electronic communications and related traffic data, guaranteed in
Article 5(1) of Directive 2002/58, applies to the measures taken by all persons other than users, whether private
persons or bodies or State bodies. As confirmed in recital 21 of that directive, the aim of the directive is to prevent
unauthorised access to communications, including ‘any data related to such communications’, in order to protect
the confidentiality of electronic communications.
In those circumstances, a legislative measure whereby a Member State, on the basis of Article 15(1) of Directive
2002/58, requires providers of electronic communications services, for the purposes set out in that provision, to
grant national authorities, on the conditions laid down in such a measure, access to the data retained by those
providers, concerns the processing of personal data by those providers, and that processing falls within the scope of
that directive.
Further, since data is retained only for the purpose, when necessary, of making that data accessible to the
competent national authorities, national legislation that imposes the retention of data necessarily entails, in
principle, the existence of provisions relating to access by the competent national authorities to the data retained
by the providers of electronic communications services.
That interpretation is confirmed by Article 15(1b) of Directive 2002/58, which provides that providers are to
establish internal procedures for responding to requests for access to users’ personal data, based on provisions of
national law adopted pursuant to Article 15(1) of that directive.
It follows from the foregoing that national legislation, such as that at issue in the main proceedings in Cases
C‑203/15 and C‑698/15, falls within the scope of Directive 2002/58.
The interpretation of Article 15(1) of Directive 2002/58, in the light of Articles 7, 8, 11 and Article 52(1) of the
Charter
It must be observed that, according to Article 1(2) of Directive 2002/58, the provisions of that directive
‘particularise and complement’ Directive 95/46. As stated in its recital 2, Directive 2002/58 seeks to ensure, in
particular, full respect for the rights set out in Articles 7 and 8 of the Charter. In that regard, it is clear from the
explanatory memorandum of the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning
the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector (COM(2000)
385 final), which led to Directive 2002/58, that the EU legislature sought ‘to ensure that a high level of protection
of personal data and privacy will continue to be guaranteed for all electronic communications services regardless of
the technology used’.
To that end, Directive 2002/58 contains specific provisions designed, as is apparent from, in particular, recitals 6
and 7 of that directive, to offer to the users of electronic communications services protection against risks to their
personal data and privacy that arise from new technology and the increasing capacity for automated storage and
processing of data.
In particular, Article 5(1) of that directive provides that the Member States must ensure, by means of their
national legislation, the confidentiality of communications effected by means of a public communications network
and publicly available electronic communications services, and the confidentiality of the related traffic data.
The principle of confidentiality of communications established by Directive 2002/58 implies, inter alia, as stated in
the second sentence of Article 5(1) of that directive, that, as a general rule, any person other than the users is
prohibited from storing, without the consent of the users concerned, the traffic data related to electronic
communications. The only exceptions relate to persons lawfully authorised in accordance with Article 15(1) of that
directive and to the technical storage necessary for conveyance of a communication (see, to that effect, judgment
of 29 January 2008, Promusicae, C‑275/06, EU:C:2008:54, paragraph 47).
Accordingly, as confirmed by recitals 22 and 26 of Directive 2002/58, under Article 6 of that directive, the
processing and storage of traffic data are permitted only to the extent necessary and for the time necessary for the
billing and marketing of services and the provision of value added services (see, to that effect, judgment of
29 January 2008, Promusicae, C‑275/06, EU:C:2008:54, paragraphs 47 and 48). As regards, in particular, the
billing of services, that processing is permitted only up to the end of the period during which the bill may be
lawfully challenged or legal proceedings brought to obtain payment. Once that period has elapsed, the data
processed and stored must be erased or made anonymous. As regards location data other than traffic data,
Article 9(1) of that directive provides that that data may be processed only subject to certain conditions and after it
has been made anonymous or the consent of the users or subscribers obtained.
The scope of Article 5, Article 6 and Article 9(1) of Directive 2002/58, which seek to ensure the confidentiality of
communications and related data, and to minimise the risks of misuse, must moreover be assessed in the light of
recital 30 of that directive, which states: ‘Systems for the provision of electronic communications networks and
services should be designed to limit the amount of personal data necessary to a strict minimum’.
Admittedly, Article 15(1) of Directive 2002/58 enables the Member States to introduce exceptions to the obligation
of principle, laid down in Article 5(1) of that directive, to ensure the confidentiality of personal data, and to the
curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&docid=186492&pageIndex=0&doclang=EN&mode=lst&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=1088733
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