The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, also known as the PECR, are one of the primary communications legislation in the UK. Their full title is The Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, and they were derived from European law following the decision by the UK to leave the European Union. Thus, PECR implements the European Directive 2002/58/EC, also known as ‘the e-privacy Directive’ but within the UK legislative context. The e-privacy Directive complements the general data protection regime (GDPR) and sets out more specific privacy rights on electronic communications. It recognises that widespread public access to digital mobile networks and the internet opens up new possibilities for businesses and users, but also new risks to their privacy.
