Supreme Court of Cyprus Rules Use of IP Tracking System by Police in Child Pornography Cases is Legal

The Supreme Court of Cyprus has ruled that the police have full authority to use specialized software to identify IP addresses during investigations related to child pornography cases. This concerns the ICACCOPS system, which is used to identify users uploading or distributing illegal content on the internet.

The ruling followed a request by a suspect who attempted to challenge the legality of police access to his IP data. However, the court rejected the request, stating that the IP addresses obtained through the ICACCOPS system are not considered personal data, as they belong to internet service providers. Thus, access to such data is only possible based on a court order, which was obtained in this case.

In court, representatives of the Attorney General’s Office emphasized that the storage of IP addresses by providers does not violate either Cypriot or European law. According to them, IP addresses become personal data only when linked to a specific individual, and such information is provided to the police solely by court decision.

The court also noted that denying the legality of such tools would jeopardize the investigation of serious cybercrimes and could create loopholes for the unpunished distribution of child pornography.

Thus, the Supreme Court’s decision creates an important legal precedent confirming that the use of modern technologies such as ICACCOPS is within the law and necessary for the effective fight against crimes involving minors.