Manuel Campus Sanchez-Bordona, the EU advocate general, has determined that dynamic IP addresses qualify as personal data, according to a blog post from Covington. Sanchez-Bordona’s opinion is in relation to Patrick Breyer v. Germany, a case currently pending in the EU Court of Justice. The advocate general’s opinion details how even if a website operator cannot determine the user behind an IP address, Internet service providers have data that, when connected with an IP address, can identify the individual. The opinion also covered how the collection and use of IP address data, when used to ensure a website is functioning, could be acceptable on the basis of the “balancing of legitimate interests” test in the GDPR. While the court doesn’t have to follow the advocate general’s opinion, it could have broad implications for the EU if followed by the Court of Justice.
Full Story