EU och informationsfriheten. En idé- och ideologianalys av informationsfriheten i EU
s datalagringsdirektiv 2006/24/EG.
This master?s thesis is about freedom of information ideas in the European Union data retention directive, 2006/24/EC. The directive means that data about electronic communications services will be retentioned. The aim of the thesis is to examine what ideas related to freedom of information that appear in the directive and how these ideas belong to the ideology of freedom of information that is common within the library community and to the juridical restrictions. In the light of surveillance tendencies that have occurred over the last years, the most well-known is probably the USA Patriot Act, it is interesting to study how freedom of information ideas appears when surveillance is legislated. The theory used comes from the dissertation of Stuart Hamilton which is about freedom of information and its barriers in libraries. The method that I have used is the idea and ideology analysis. My study shows that the freedom of information ideas that appears in the directive 2006/24/EC belongs to surveillance and privacy. The surveillance ideas have to do with the permitted restrictions. The privacy ideas have mainly to do with the ideology of freedom of information but also to the juridical permitted restrictions. Even if there is nothing explicit in the directive about the freedom to seek, receive and impart information or freedom of access to information, the two definitions of freedom of information are influenced by ideas of surveillance and privacy.