Encryption and Why It Matters in a Data Retention World | CPO Magazine [extern]

Despite the landmark ruling by the European Court of Justice in 2016, saying that indiscriminate data retention was illegal, several European countries are once again seeking to bring back the practice.

From the point of view of privacy advocates, the indiscriminate retention of communications data is highly harmful for many sectors of society as it impairs confidential communication. The “if you’ve nothing to hide…” comment is often trotted out in defence of privacy invasive practices, but in many areas of society professionals depend on confidentiality, for example psychotherapists, doctors, lawyers, workers councils, marriage counsellors, fertility centres, drug abuse counsellors, other counselling services and of course journalists to name but a few.