Germany's Highest Court declares a government law on data storage for personal communications unconstitutional

Germany's constitutional court has rejected a law requiring telephone and internet providers to retain all customer communication data for six months. During this period, the information could be accessed for law enforcement purposes or to prevent security threats. The court ruled the measure violated the constitutional guarentee of private communications. The law came into force in 2008 following an EU ruling. The petitioners in the case have vowed to take on other European states where telecommunications data is routinely recorded.