“Under a directive approved by the 27-member European Union in 2006, telecommunications operators and internet service providers are obliged to retain records of users’ calls and online activity for at least six months. The directive enables security services, if necessary, to check who has been communicating with whom, from where, at what time and for how long but stops short of enabling them to check the content of any communications. The European legislation was approved in the aftermath of bombings in Madrid in 2004 and London in 2005. Individual governments are free to require longer periods of data retention.”
formerly http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/06/11/european-monitoring-of-civilians-still-far-less-than-u-s/
