Bulk Surveillance, Democracy and Human Rights Law in Europe: A Comparative Perspective (Routledge Research in Human Rights Law)

This book discusses contemporary standards of legal safeguards in the area of bulk electronic surveillance from the perspective of the European legal model.Bulk, or untargeted, surveillance, although traditionally associated with the interception of electronic communications, is increasingly used as a convenient tool for collecting information on large groups of society.The collection of redundant information, which is intrinsic to bulk surveillance, is no longer a side effect but an important objective of the use of bulk powers.As a result, untargeted surveillance is everywhere increasingly being implemented, and without any clear link to state security or crime-fighting objectives.This work examines the origins of untargeted measures, explores their mechanics and key concepts, and defines what distinguishes them from other forms of surveillance.The various elements of the legal safeguards in place, which are fundamental to protecting individuals from the risks of abuse of power, are