BORDERS OF COMMUNICATION PRIVACY IN SLOVENIAN CRIMINAL PROCEDURE – CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGES

• Main Author: Sabina Zgaga
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: CEOs Ltd. 2015-01-01
• Series: Innovative Issues and Approaches in Social Sciences
• Subjects: privacy; communication privacy; Constitution; criminal procedure
• Online Access: http://www.iiass.com/pdf/IIASS-2015-no1-art12.pdf

Due to fast technological development and our constant communication protection of communication privacy in every aspect of our (legal) life has become more important than ever before. Regarding protection of privacy in criminal procedure special emphasis should be given to the regulation of privacy in Slovenian Constitution and its interpretation in the case law of the Constitutional Court. This paper presents the definition of privacy and communication privacy in Slovenian constitutional law and exposes the main issues of communication privacy that have been discussed in the case law of the Constitutional Court in the last twenty years. Thereby the paper tries to show the general trend in the case law of Constitutional Court regarding the protection of communication privacy and to expose certain unsolved issues and unanswered challenges. Slovenian constitutional regulation of communication privacy is very protective, considering the broad definition of privacy and the strict conditions for encroachment of communication privacy. The case law of Slovenian Constitutional Court has also shown such trend, with the possible exception of the recent decision on a dynamic IP address. The importance of this decision is however significant, since it could be applicable to all forms of communication via internet, the prevailing form of communication nowadays. Certain challenges still lay ahead, such as the current proposal for the amendment of Criminal Procedure Act-M, which includes the use of IMSI catchers and numerous unanswered issues regarding data retention after the decisive annulment of its partial legal basis by the Constitutional Court.