Data Retention Directive

The Data Retention Directive is issued by the European Union. After the terror attacks in New York the 11. of September 2001, in Madrid the 11. of March 2004  and in London the 7. of July 2005, the authorities saw the need for storing data traffic to avoid crime like terror.

The Data Retention Directive allowes the authorities to store information about where, how, and with whom you communicate on telephone, cell phone or electronical mail. It is also possible to find out where you are when you use the cell phone. The information can be stored for six to twentyfour months. Information which reveal the content of the communication is not going to be available. This Directive was adopted by the Parliament the 4. of April 2011 in Norway. The Department of Justice has the opinion that the Data Retention Directive will be usefull to fight terror and child pornography.

In Norway it has been a tremendous debate and disagreement about the Directive, conserning both ordinary people and in the Parliament. Some people wants to have it and other don´t. In the Parliament it took the members nine and a half hours before they could vote over the Directive. It was adopted with 89 against 80 votes. On the social media, Facebook, it is created a site for people who are against the Directive. It is called  Stopp Datalagringsdirektivet.

Why does this Directive cause so much involvement? People who are against the Directive claimbs it will harm the democratic freedom to communicate, and the authorities expresses a bad attitude to people in general.