Under the Data Protection Law Enforcement Directive of the EU, a government can carry out...

 According to the CIPP/E study guide, the Data Protection Law Enforcement Directive (LED) is a piece of EU legislation that ensures the protection of personal data of individuals involved in criminal proceedings, be it as witnesses, victims or suspects1. The LED applies to the processing of personal data by competent authorities for the purposes of the prevention, investigation, detection or prosecution of criminal offences or the execution of criminal penalties2. Article 4 of the LED sets out the principles relating to the processing of personal data, which include lawfulness, fairness, purpose limitation, data minimisation, accuracy, storage limitation, integrity and confidentiality3. Article 4 (1) (e) of the LED states that personal data shall be processed lawfully, where processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out by a competent authority for the purposes of the LED, and where processing is based on Union or Member State law which shall meet an objective of general interest, respect the essence of the right to the protection of personal data and be proportionate to the legitimate aim pursued3. Therefore, a government can carry out covert investigations involving personal data, as long as it is set forth by law and constitutes a measure that is both necessary and proportionate to the objective of general interest, such as the prevention or prosecution of criminal offences. References: 1: CIPP/E study guide, page 1; Data protection in law enforcement2: CIPP/E study guide, page 2; Art. 2 LED3: CIPP/E study guide, page 3; Art. 4 LED.