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Privacy Issues in the Use of Smart Meters—Law Enforcement Use of Smart Meter Data

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Smart Grids from a Global Perspective

Part of the book series: Power Systems ((POWSYS))

Abstract

This chapter assesses the challenges that the introduction of smart meters in the European Union creates for the right to privacy and data protection of individuals in those situations in which the transmitted data are used by law enforcement authorities for surveillance purposes. In presenting the potential risks and the limitations of the existing safeguards for the protection of the individuals by State interferences, this analysis takes a human rights approach based on the existing European legal framework, case law and doctrine. The legal analysis is augmented by evidence collected from technical/engineering studies that show the interest that smart meter data has for law enforcement authorities. It is argued that the current legal framework is not adequate for addressing the challenges that surveillance via smart meter data creates for the rights of the individuals and that the existing legal gap must be taken into account and used in favour of the protection of the fundamental rights of the individuals.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    For the scope of our study we consider only smart meters that measure the consumption of electricity and not of water or gas. In addition, also our usage of the term “energy” is limited to electric energy and does not cover gas or other forms of energy.

  2. 2.

    With this term in this chapter are understood distribution system operators, transmission system operators, electricity supply undertakings or other parties that receive the data directly from the meter in accordance with the electricity distribution system.

  3. 3.

    Analog meters that are still present in those households that have not yet installed smart ones.

  4. 4.

    Niemietz v. Germany, ECHR application no. 13710/88, 16 December 1992, para. 29; Peck v. The United Kingdom, ECHR application no. 44647/98, 28 January 2003, para. 57; Pretty v. The United Kingdom, ECHR application no. 2346/02, 29 April 2002, para. 61.

  5. 5.

    Personal data are defined in Directive 95/46/EC (article 2(a)) as any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. An identifiable person is further defined as him who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identification number or to one or more factors specific to his physical, physiological, mental, economic, cultural or social identity.

  6. 6.

    Friedl v. Austria, ECHR application 15225/89, 31 January 1995, para. 14.

  7. 7.

    The aim of the Data Retention Directive (Directive 2006/24/EC) was to allow the retention of data generated or processed in connection with the provision of publicly available electronic communications services or of public communications networks for possible use by law enforcement authorities. It was invalidated by the Court of Justice of the EU because of infringing the proportionality principle as well as the rights to privacy and data protection.

  8. 8.

    Joint cases C-293/12 and C-594/12 Digital Rights Ireland and Seitlinger and others [2014] nyr, para. 27.

  9. 9.

    C-180/04 Vassallo v. Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedale San Martino di Genova e Cliniche Universitarie Convenzionate [2006] ECR I-7251, para. 26; M.M. v. The Netherlands, ECHR application no. 39339/98, 8 April 2003, para. 42; A. v. France, ECHR application no. 14838/89, 23 November 1993, paras. 38–39.

  10. 10.

    Kruslin v. France, ECHR application no. 11801/85, 24 April 1990, para. 28.

  11. 11.

    Lambert v. France, ECHR application no. 23618/94, 24 August 1998, para. 40.

  12. 12.

    Ibidem para. 38.

  13. 13.

    Klass v. Germany, ECHR application no. 5029/71, 6 September 1978, para. 50; Weber and Saravia v. Germany, ECHR application no. 54934/00, 29 June 2006, para. 114.

  14. 14.

    Association for European Integration and Human Rights and Ekimdzhiev v. Bulgaria, ECHR application no. 62540/00, 28 June 2007, para. 91.

  15. 15.

    Liberty and Others v. The United Kingdom, ECHR application no. 58243/00, 1 July 2008, para. 63.

  16. 16.

    Weber and Saravia (n 13) para. 78.

  17. 17.

    Digital Rights Ireland (n 8) para. 64.

  18. 18.

    Ibidem para. 67.

  19. 19.

    So far studies have shown, however, that de-anonymisation of data is possible (Buchman et al. 2013).

  20. 20.

    Digital Rights Ireland (n 8) para. 60.

  21. 21.

    Ibidem para. 68.

  22. 22.

    Kopp v. Switzerland, ECHR application no. 23224/94, 25 March 1998, para. 55; Perry v. The United Kingdom, ECHR application no. 63737/00, 17 July 2003, para. 55.

  23. 23.

    Kruslin (n 10) para. 29; M.K. v. France, ECHR application 19522/09, 18 April 2013, para. 43.

  24. 24.

    Weber and Saravia (n 13) para. 106; Klass (n 13) para. 50.

  25. 25.

    Digital Rights Ireland (n 5) para. 62.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of European and Economic Law, Faculty of Law, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Jonida Milaj & Jeanne Pia Mifsud Bonnici

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  1. Jonida Milaj
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  2. Jeanne Pia Mifsud Bonnici
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Correspondence to Jonida Milaj .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Math. and Natural Scienc, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Anne Beaulieu

  2. Dept. Int.Relations and Security, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Jaap de Wilde

  3. ENTEG, DTPA, University of Groningen, Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Jacquelien M.A. Scherpen

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Milaj, J., Mifsud Bonnici, J.P. (2016). Privacy Issues in the Use of Smart Meters—Law Enforcement Use of Smart Meter Data. In: Beaulieu, A., de Wilde, J., Scherpen, J. (eds) Smart Grids from a Global Perspective. Power Systems. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28077-6_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28077-6_12

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