No more bulk communications data retention, top EU court tells U.K.

European governments must not oblige network operators to indiscriminately retain bulk customer communications data, the European Union's top court reaffirmed on Wednesday.

The ruling by the Court of Justice of the EU came in response to a question from the U.K.'s Court of Appeal, which is examining the legality of the U.K.'s 2014 Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act, and a similar question from the Swedish telecommunications regulator.

But the ruling also calls into question the validity of the U.K.'s more recent Investigatory Powers Act, which received Royal Assent last month.

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