The EU prepares ground for wider data retention – and VPN providers are among the targets

• The EU Council shares preliminary views on new data retention framework
• VPN services, messaging apps, and cloud storage are among the targets
• A legislative proposal is expected at the end of the first half of 2026

EU governments are pushing to widen data retention obligations for apps that citizens use every day – and the best VPN apps are among those targeted.

A new internal document dated November 27 (first published by Netzpolitik) provides important insights into the current thinking of the Danish Presidency of the EU Council. It shows that member states largely agree on the need for a new framework on data retention, presenting an important overview of lawmakers main position on the matter.

The topic has been debated since April, when the EU Commission first unveiled "ProtectEU," a strategy aiming to create a roadmap for "lawful and effective access to data for law enforcement." The Commission then presented ...