The motivation is to fight organized crime and terror. And in many cases the ones that will be sitting on the surveying end (politicians bureaucrats and police) argue like the ones opposed to this surveillance, are pro crime.
The German Constitutional court ruled that the right to privacy was a human right, and thus the data retention was against the constitution. So Germany had to revoke the EU imposed data retention directive.
Other European countries do obviously have other human rights than the Germans so basically everything you do (let's face it; most of it is electronically these days), can and will be used against you in case you will do something wrong.
Since very few are informed of this up front (because they are not arrested.....yet) you must take the same principle approach like your beloved politicians have:
If it is OK to save data about your every step and the movements of your wife, girlfriend and children - just out of principle- then it must be OK for you to take the "fifth" whenever you are using electronic media.
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation
(Boy we really need that one in Europe! But I guess by calling it war you can get around it in the US too.)
Refuse to give personal information on the grounds that it might incriminate you later on, for whatever reason.
Always remember that anything you "say" electronically can be used against you. That is the only reason for saving your electronic data.
In Europe you are under suspicion until proven not guilty. A dramatic change from the presumption that everybody is innocent until proven otherwise,
Sad but true, and no fine words can change that.
So do not write anything or say anything and turn of your mobile phone as often as you can. Use cash instead of credit cards (Wikipedia will most certainly agree on that one). Don't smile and put your face into every camera/smartphone you see (probably impossible for Americans since it is genetic there
) And be aware that your GPS in your car is electronic too, so your every step is monitored. And what on earth is facial recognition on smartphones good for? Are you so drunk that you cannot otherwise identify the people you have taken a picture of? Finger print identification instead of passwords? Are we all becoming unwilling gatherers of data to put our fellow humans under suspicion? Reflect on that...In short; take the fifth whenever you can!
Because it is an insult that you and other decent innocent people are monitored by a minority that define themselves competent to put you under suspicion.
And sadly, increasingly impossible to avoid it.....
Valhalla!!!
. But then people at least have an active choice, not only floating there.
Yes let us discuss data retention