In a ruling cheered by privacy advocates, the European Union's highest court on Tuesday struck down an online data collection directive saying the law trampled on "the fundamental rights to respect for private life and to the protection of personal data."

The decision by EU Court of Justice invalidates the controversial 2006 Data Retention Directive, which required telecommunications companies to keep EU citizens' data for between six months and two years "[b]ecause retention of data has proved to be such a necessary and effective investigative tool for law enforcement in several Member States, and in particular concerning serious matters such as organized crime and terrorism, it is necessary to ensure that retained data are made available to law enforcement authorities for a certain period."