In a decision rendered on 8 April 2014, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) declared the Data Retention Directive invalid. The Court’s decision was grounded on its conclusion that, by requiring the retention of the data falling within the scope of the Directive, and by allowing the competent national authorities to access those data, the Directive interferes in a particularly serious manner with the fundamental rights to respect for private life and to the protection of personal data.