alternative view courtesy of StateWatch...
the ISPs have previously stated to ACPO that they need to retain data for about 5 minutes in order to complete the billing process, the metadata could then be archived to tape. Instead, ACPO Ltd went about 'suggesting' that stored years of quick-access to near real-time meta-data would be much more state-friendly. Most ISPs immediately complied.
Eventually, ILETS - we now know from Snowden: led by NSA (under FBI cover of "Law Enforcement" - though Police were *excluded* from Cabinet Office meetings at the time) arranged the European Data Retention Directive, -- weirdly in open ILETS briefings at Standards Development Organisations the member states have been chided for the EU Police not actually seeming to use the Meta-Data -- leading to empty 'tables of use' in the EU reviews, allegedly.
Germany has never got around to approving the EU Data Retention Directive, bogged down in Constitutional Court proceedings - and now the Court of Justice has ruled that the Directive is non-proportional. [http://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2014-04/cp140054en.pdf]
Meanwhile lets look at Austria, referring to the widely publicised use of the ISP retained data for "anti-terrorism" The Austrian press reported (*) that there are plans to use the Data Retention Directive 2006/24/EC ‘retained data’ databases not simply for ‘terrorism’ and ‘serious crime’ but also for minor crime and dealings in civil wrongs such as ‘file-sharing’; even allegedly for solving heated arguments in Online Forum Debates. such as here!
The Austrian press, lawyers and counsellors felt that “Pressefreheit” is endangered, according to (*)[Die Presse, Vienna. article “Vorratsdaten: Raubkopierer statt Terroristen als Ziel”15th January 2010, Christian Pilnacek, Head of Criminal Procedure in the Ministry of Justice confirmed this information to Die Presse:"Die Ministeriumsbeamten sollen in der Sitzung sogar den Wunsch geäußert haben, die Daten zur Ausforschung von Personen einzusetzen, die Dritte über Internetforenbeiträge beleidigt haben." ORF-Redakteursrat und der Österreichische Journalistenclub befürchten, dass das Gesetz die Basis zur Ausforschung unbequemer Informanten sei und damit die Pressefreiheit gefährde. Ähnliche Befürchtungen äußerten Rechtsanwälte und Seelsorger. available at: http://diepresse.com/home/techscience/Internet/sicherheit/533166/Vorratsdaten_Raubkopierer-statt-Terroristen-als-Ziel?offset=75&page=3 ]