This decision follows a more recent trend in Germany of judicial deference to consumer protection and public need. A pair of 2008 decisions by Germany's Federal Constitutional Court [official website] prevented a series of laws from going into effect that would have allowed intelligence agents and government officials to search personal computers, networks and Internet communications as well as telephone data [JURIST reports] for national security purposes. The same court reaffirmed its defense of individual liberties in 2010 when it overturned a law [JURIST report] requiring telecommunications providers to store information on telephone calls, e-mails and Internet use for six months in the event of possible terrorism investigations, citing privacy issues as the main cause for concern.