Chaos Computer Club criticises Luxembourg government's storage of personal data

The Chaos Computer Club has criticised the Luxembourg government's plans to store data in the field of electronic communication.

Following a ruling by the European Court of Justice in 2014 on so-called data retention, Justice Minister Sam Tanson presented a new bill in January 2023. However, the text still goes too far, says the Chaos Computer Club.

The Luxembourg branch of the hacking association regularly scrutinises data protection and related issues. Last year, for instance, they issued a warning over EU plans to monitor private messages.

Under the new Luxembourg bill, data on citizens will continue to be collected and stored for six months. The conditions under which the government can retain this data have not been sufficiently defined, according to the club. The Chaos Computer Club believes the government has merely copied a Belgian law on the subject.

Even the fact that the contents of conversations will not be retained, instead saving metadata such as the time or conversation partner, does not reassure the association. The Club said this information could help to draw conclusions over the content of the conversation, citing the example of a person phoning a divorce lawyer.

The Club also criticised the intended control mechanism, or lack thereof. The bill plans for a Chamber report every three years, while there is no planned date for a consultative commission at this moment in time. This is a "bad joke", according to the Chaos Computer Club.

The Club hopes for a negative opinion from the State Council, although the Ministry of Justice is more likely to listen to sources such as the police, secret service and judicial authorities than organisations like the Club or other civil rights groups. In the past, Green politicians have always opposed data storage, the association added in their statement.