Key Electronic Communication Terminology

Within the field of electronic communication, terms such as electronic message, traffic data, public communications network, location data, subscriber, corporate subscriber, user, and information society services are central.

Electronic communications include for instance text messages, voice messages, instant messages or messages transmitted when using the internet.

Traffic data stands for data which can be associated with a legal or natural person, and which is processed for the purpose of delivering communications. For instance, the subject and recipient fields of an email are traffic data.

Public communications network is a communications network that is offered for the provision of communications services to an undetermined user group and thus not subject to any prior restriction. Public communications networks include the Internet, mobile networks as well as fixed telephone networks.

Location data stands for data from a communication network or terminal device that expresses the geographic location of the subscriber connection or the terminal device, and which is used for other than delivering a communication. Location data can describe the longitude, latitude and height, as well as the travelling direction and proximity of the location data in addition to the part of the network in which the subscriber connection or terminal device is located at a specific time. Further, the storage time of the location data is also deemed location data. Location data therefore differs from traffic data due to its purpose of use: traffic data is location data whenever it is used for another purpose than the provision of communication.

Subscriber means a legal or natural person that has formulated a contract concerning the delivering of a communication service or value-added service for purposes other than telecommunications.

Corporate subscriber stands for a company or organization that subscribes to a communications service or a value added service and which processes users’ messages, traffic data or location data in its communications network. A corporate subscriber can for instance be a company that subscribes to an email service intended for the use of its employees.

User means any natural person who subscribes to or otherwise uses a communications service or a value added service. For instance, if a company has purchased subscriptions for its employees, the subscriber is the company, and the users are the employees.

Information society services are defined as services normally provided for remuneration at a distance by electronic means at the individual request of the recipient of the services.