Europe bans the use of phone data as evidence of convictions

The use of phone data only allowed in case of serious cases, threatening national security.

The European Union Court of Justice (ECJ) made the ruling after a man sentenced to life in prison for murder in 2015 in Ireland appealed, arguing that the sentence violated traffic law. in the EU for using phone data as evidence of conviction.

The ECJ, based in Luxembourg, said the courts in each member state would make a decision on whether to allow the use of phone data as evidence. However, the bloc’s member states are not allowed to ratify laws that allow crime prevention through the “non-discriminatory” use of phone data.

Headquarters of the Court of Justice of the European Union. (Photo: DPA)

ECJ also added that only serious cases, which threaten national security, are considered exceptions. However, the use of phone data in these cases is also limited in scope or time.

In 2021, the ECJ issued a ruling, which said that the data could be used “to combat serious crimes or prevent a serious threat to public security”.

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