Tag: data collection

Europol’s criticism of EDPS’ order limiting data collection practices

13. January 2022

Shortly after the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) had notified EU’s Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) of the order restricting data collection practices, the agency strongly objected. We have already reported on the decision setting a retention period of six months for all datasets submitted to the agency.

Europol is concerned that the order will harm investigations, as the agency typically needs to retain data for longer than six months to effectively fight against evils such as terrorism and child abuse. It was precisely the past practices that also enabled the EU arresting numerous of drug traffickers and suspected criminals.

EU’s Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, agreed with the concern, arguing that it would jeopardize criminal investigations if law enforcement agencies have to start disposing of the data they have collected. She stated that

the potential risk of the decision is huge. If a member state or national police cannot use Europol to help with the analysis of big data … then they will be blind because a lot of national police forces do not have the capacity to deal with this big data.

According to critical comment, law enforcement and security agencies should be given better access to citizens’ data. Johansson advocates this as well. Europol’s powers to process large datasets could soon be strengthened as part of a reform of its mandate. However, this intention also meets with criticism, as Chloé Berthélémy of the European Digital Rights NGO expresses:

The EDPS has taken a critical step today to finally end Europol’s unlawful processing of data … Unfortunately, the reform of Europol to be adopted soon … will reverse all these efforts as it is set to legalize the very same practices that undermine data protection and fair trial rights.