Berlin, Sep 20 (AP) The European Union's top court has ruled that a German requirement for companies to retain the location and connection data of all people who use their services is illegal.

The European Court of Justice said in a ruling published on Tuesday that exceptions can be made in cases where national security is threatened.

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The ruling, which comes after a complaint by two German telecoms companies, is in line with previous privacy verdicts by the court, which has argued that data must not be collected if that means creating a complete profile of a person's movements and contacts.

German authorities had introduced a blanket requirement for companies to store such data for a limited period of time in 2007. It was later halted pending legal challenges, and has been suspended in its current form since 2017.

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The country's top security official, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, said the ruling by the Luxembourg-based EU court provided legal certainty and the government would now examine other options — such as storing of IP addresses — that allow authorities to fight serious crimes such as child abuse. (AP)

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