ePrivacy Directive — Directive 2002/58/EC

Identifier

CELEX

32002L0058

Identifier

2002/58/EC

Adopted

2002-07-12

In force

2002-07-31

Transposition deadline

2003-10-31

Articles

21

Articles

23 articles are read into the register, one address each. Read on 2026-08-18.

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Judgments of the Court of Justice

24 decisions

• C-654/23Court of Justice of the European Union2025-11-13

  Inteligo Media SA v Autoritatea Naţională de Supraveghere a Prelucrării Datelor cu Caracter Personal (ANSPDCP)

  Reference for a preliminary ruling – Processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector – Directive 2002/58/EC – Article 13(1) and (2) – Unsolicited communications – Concept of communication ‘for the purposes of direct marketing’ – Obtaining electronic contact details ‘in the context of the sale of a product or a service’ – Registration on an online platform giving access to additional content – Sending of a daily newsletter via email – Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – Article 6 – Lawfulness of processing – Article 95 – Relationship with Directive 2002/58.

• C-229/23Court of Justice of the European Union2024-06-13

  Criminal proceedings against HYA and Others

  Reference for a preliminary ruling – Telecommunications sector – Processing of personal data and the protection of privacy – Directive 2002/58/EC – Article 15(1) – Restriction of the confidentiality of electronic communications – Judicial decision authorising listening, tapping and storage in respect of telephone conversations of persons suspected of having committed a serious intentional offence – National legislation requiring that that decision must itself contain an express statement of reasons in writing, irrespective of the existence of a reasoned application made by the criminal authorities – Second paragraph of Article 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union – Obligation to state reasons.

• C-178/22Court of Justice of the European Union2024-04-30

  Criminal proceedings against Unknown individuals

  Reference for a preliminary ruling – Processing of personal data in the electronic communications sector – Confidentiality of communications – Providers of electronic communications services – Directive 2002/58/EC – Article 15(1) – Articles 7, 8, 11 and Article 52(1) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union – Access to those data requested by a national authority having competence to prosecute offences of aggravated theft – Definition of the concept of ‘serious offence’ the prosecution of which is capable of justifying serious interference with fundamental rights – Competence of the Member States – Principle of proportionality – Scope of prior review by a court of the requests to access the data retained by providers of electronic communications services.

• C-470/21Court of Justice of the European Union2024-04-30

  La Quadrature du Net and Others v Premier ministre and Ministère de la Culture

  Reference for a preliminary ruling – Processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector – Directive 2002/58/EC – Confidentiality of electronic communications – Protection – Article 5 and Article 15(1) – Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union – Articles 7, 8 and 11 and Article 52(1) – National legislation aimed at combating, through action by a public authority, counterfeiting offences committed on the internet – ‘Graduated response’ procedure – Upstream collection by rightholder organisations of IP addresses used for activities infringing copyright or related rights – Downstream access by the public authority responsible for the protection of copyright and related rights to data relating to the civil identity associated with those IP addresses retained by providers of electronic communications services – Automated processing – Requirement of prior review by a court or an independent administrative body – Substantive and procedural conditions – Safeguards against the risks of abuse and against any unlawful access to or use of those data.

• C-162/22Court of Justice of the European Union2023-09-07

  A. G. v Lietuvos Respublikos generalinė prokuratūra

  Reference for a preliminary ruling – Telecommunications – Processing of personal data in the electronic communications sector – Directive 2002/58/EC – Scope – Article 15(1) – Data retained by providers of electronic communications services and made available to authorities in charge of criminal proceedings – Subsequent use of those data in an investigation into misconduct in office.

• C-349/21Court of Justice of the European Union2023-02-16

  HYA and Othersprokuratura

  Reference for a preliminary ruling – Telecommunications sector – Processing of personal data and the protection of privacy – Directive 2002/58 – Article 15(1) – Restriction of the confidentiality of electronic communications – Judicial decision authorising the interception, recording and storage of telephone conversations of persons suspected of having committed a serious intentional offence – Practice whereby the decision is drawn up in accordance with a pre-drafted template text that does not contain individualised reasons – Second paragraph of Article 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union – Obligation to state reasons.

• C-350/21Court of Justice of the European Union2022-11-17

  Proceedings brought by Spetsializirana prokuratura

  Reference for a preliminary ruling – Processing of personal data in the electronic communication sector – Confidentiality of communications – Providers of electronic communications services – General and indiscriminate retention of traffic and location data for a period of six months – Combatting serious crime – Access to the retained data – Informing data subjects – Right to bring an action – Directive 2002/58/EC – Article 15(1) and (2) – Directive (EU) 2016/680 – Articles 13 and 54 – Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union – Articles 7, 8, 11 and 47 and Article 52(1).

• C-129/21Court of Justice of the European Union2022-10-27

  Proximus NV v Gegevensbeschermingsautoriteit

  Reference for a preliminary ruling – Processing of personal data and protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector – Directive 2002/58/EC – Article 12 – Public telephone directories and directory enquiry services – Subscriber’s consent – Obligations of the provider of directories and of directory enquiry services – Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – Article 17 – Right to erasure (‘right to be forgotten’) – Article 5(2) – Article 24 – Information obligations and responsibility of the controller.

• 62020CJ0339Court of Justice of the European Union2022-09-20

  Criminal proceedings against VD bd]&

  Joined Cases C-339/20 and C-397/20.

• C-140/20Court of Justice of the European Union2022-04-05

  G.D. v The Commissioner of the Garda Síochána and Others

  Reference for a preliminary ruling – Processing of personal data in the electronic communications sector – Confidentiality of the communications – Providers of electronic communications services – General and indiscriminate retention of traffic and location data – Access to data – Subsequent court supervision – Directive 2002/58/EC – Article 15(1) – Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union – Articles 7, 8 and 11 and Article 52(1) – Possibility for a national court to restrict the temporal effect of a declaration of the invalidity of national legislation that is incompatible with EU law – Excluded.

• C-102/20Court of Justice of the European Union2021-11-25

  StWL Städtische Werke Lauf a.d. Pegnitz GmbH v eprimo GmbH

  Reference for a preliminary ruling – Directive 2002/58/EC – Processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector – Article 2(h) – Concept of ‘electronic mail’ – Article 13(1) – Concept of ‘use of … electronic mail for the purposes of direct marketing’ – Directive 2005/29/EC – Unfair commercial practices – Annex I, point 26 – Concept of ‘persistent and unwanted solicitations by email’ – Advertising messages – Inbox advertising.

• C-597/19Court of Justice of the European Union2021-06-17

  Mircom International Content Management & Consulting (M.I.C.M.) Limited v Telenet BVBA

  Reference for a preliminary ruling – Intellectual property – Copyright and related rights – Directive 2001/29/EC – Article 3(1) and (2) – Concept of ‘making available to the public’ – Downloading of a file containing a protected work via a peer-to-peer network and the simultaneous provision for uploading pieces of that file – Directive 2004/48/EC – Article 3(2) – Misuse of measures, procedures and remedies – Article 4 – Persons entitled to apply for the application of measures, procedures and remedies – Article 8 – Right of information – Article 13 – Concept of ‘prejudice’ – Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – Point (f) of the first subparagraph of Article 6(1) – Protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data – Lawfulness of processing – Directive 2002/58/EC – Article 15(1) – Legislative measures to restrict the scope of the rights and obligations – Fundamental rights – Articles 7 and 8, Article 17(2) and the first paragraph of Article 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European.

Binding case law

24 judgments the Court itself has marked as interpreting this act.

• C-654/23Court of Justice of the European Union2025-11-13

  Inteligo Media SA v Autoritatea Naţională de Supraveghere a Prelucrării Datelor cu Caracter Personal (ANSPDCP)

  Reference for a preliminary ruling – Processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector – Directive 2002/58/EC – Article 13(1) and (2) – Unsolicited communications – Concept of communication ‘for the purposes of direct marketing’ – Obtaining electronic contact details ‘in the context of the sale of a product or a service’ – Registration on an online platform giving access to additional content – Sending of a daily newsletter via email – Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – Article 6 – Lawfulness of processing – Article 95 – Relationship with Directive 2002/58.

  ECLI:EU:C:2025:871EUR-LexThe Court
• C-229/23Court of Justice of the European Union2024-06-13

  Criminal proceedings against HYA and Others

  Reference for a preliminary ruling – Telecommunications sector – Processing of personal data and the protection of privacy – Directive 2002/58/EC – Article 15(1) – Restriction of the confidentiality of electronic communications – Judicial decision authorising listening, tapping and storage in respect of telephone conversations of persons suspected of having committed a serious intentional offence – National legislation requiring that that decision must itself contain an express statement of reasons in writing, irrespective of the existence of a reasoned application made by the criminal authorities – Second paragraph of Article 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union – Obligation to state reasons.

  ECLI:EU:C:2024:505EUR-LexThe Court
• C-178/22cd54a264-2edb-11e6-b497-01aa75ed71a12024-04-30

  Criminal proceedings against Unknown individuals

  Reference for a preliminary ruling – Processing of personal data in the electronic communications sector – Confidentiality of communications – Providers of electronic communications services – Directive 2002/58/EC – Article 15(1) – Articles 7, 8, 11 and Article 52(1) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union – Access to those data requested by a national authority having competence to prosecute offences of aggravated theft – Definition of the concept of ‘serious offence’ the prosecution of which is capable of justifying serious interference with fundamental rights – Competence of the Member States – Principle of proportionality – Scope of prior review by a court of the requests to access the data retained by providers of electronic communications services.

  ECLI:EU:C:2024:371EUR-LexThe Court
• C-470/213ca6f0a7-954d-4b0b-8898-78c385afdf902024-04-30

  La Quadrature du Net and Others v Premier ministre and Ministère de la Culture

  Reference for a preliminary ruling – Processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector – Directive 2002/58/EC – Confidentiality of electronic communications – Protection – Article 5 and Article 15(1) – Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union – Articles 7, 8 and 11 and Article 52(1) – National legislation aimed at combating, through action by a public authority, counterfeiting offences committed on the internet – ‘Graduated response’ procedure – Upstream collection by rightholder organisations of IP addresses used for activities infringing copyright or related rights – Downstream access by the public authority responsible for the protection of copyright and related rights to data relating to the civil identity associated with those IP addresses retained by providers of electronic communications services – Automated processing – Requirement of prior review by a court or an independent administrative body – Substantive and procedural conditions – Safeguards against the risks of abuse and against any unlawful access to or use of those data.

  ECLI:EU:C:2024:370EUR-LexThe Court
• C-162/22Court of Justice of the European Union2023-09-07

  A. G. v Lietuvos Respublikos generalinė prokuratūra

  Reference for a preliminary ruling – Telecommunications – Processing of personal data in the electronic communications sector – Directive 2002/58/EC – Scope – Article 15(1) – Data retained by providers of electronic communications services and made available to authorities in charge of criminal proceedings – Subsequent use of those data in an investigation into misconduct in office.

  ECLI:EU:C:2023:631EUR-LexThe Court
• C-349/21Court of Justice of the European Union2023-02-16

  HYA and Othersprokuratura

  Reference for a preliminary ruling – Telecommunications sector – Processing of personal data and the protection of privacy – Directive 2002/58 – Article 15(1) – Restriction of the confidentiality of electronic communications – Judicial decision authorising the interception, recording and storage of telephone conversations of persons suspected of having committed a serious intentional offence – Practice whereby the decision is drawn up in accordance with a pre-drafted template text that does not contain individualised reasons – Second paragraph of Article 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union – Obligation to state reasons.

  ECLI:EU:C:2023:102EUR-LexThe Court
• C-350/218e01d479-c04c-11e5-9e54-01aa75ed71a12022-11-17

  Proceedings brought by Spetsializirana prokuratura

  Reference for a preliminary ruling – Processing of personal data in the electronic communication sector – Confidentiality of communications – Providers of electronic communications services – General and indiscriminate retention of traffic and location data for a period of six months – Combatting serious crime – Access to the retained data – Informing data subjects – Right to bring an action – Directive 2002/58/EC – Article 15(1) and (2) – Directive (EU) 2016/680 – Articles 13 and 54 – Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union – Articles 7, 8, 11 and 47 and Article 52(1).

  ECLI:EU:C:2022:896EUR-LexThe Court
• C-129/21Court of Justice of the European Union2022-10-27

  Proximus NV v Gegevensbeschermingsautoriteit

  Reference for a preliminary ruling – Processing of personal data and protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector – Directive 2002/58/EC – Article 12 – Public telephone directories and directory enquiry services – Subscriber’s consent – Obligations of the provider of directories and of directory enquiry services – Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – Article 17 – Right to erasure (‘right to be forgotten’) – Article 5(2) – Article 24 – Information obligations and responsibility of the controller.

  ECLI:EU:C:2022:833EUR-LexThe Court

Read from the Publications Office of the European Union on 2026-08-22.

Supervisory bodies

• IMY — Sweden
• Datatilsynet — Norway

Official source

• EUR-Lex, CELEX 32002L0058
• All language versions
• Consolidated text
• National instruments, EUR-Lex NIM

National instruments

• SE Lag om elektronisk kommunikation

  SFS 2022:482 · www.riksdagen.se

• NO Lov om elektronisk kommunikasjon (ekomloven)

  LOV-2024-12-13-76 · lovdata.no

• DE Telekommunikation-Digitale-Dienste-Datenschutz-Gesetz

  TDDDG · www.gesetze-im-internet.de

• UK The Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003

  SI 2003/2426 · www.legislation.gov.uk

• FI Laki sähköisen viestinnän palveluista

  917/2014 · www.finlex.fi

• DK Retsinformation

  Not stated in the register · www.retsinformation.dk