[2025] UKUT 319 (AAC)
Upper Tribunal Administrative Appeals Chamber

[2025] UKUT 319 (AAC)

Fecha: 11-Jun-2025

REASONS FOR DECISION

REASONS FOR DECISION

1.

The structure of this decision is:

Introduction 5

What this appeal is about 5

The decision under appeal 5

A summary of the relevant factual background 6

The issues in this appeal 20

Appeal ground 1 20

Appeal ground 2 20

Appeal ground 3 21

Appeal ground 4 21

Additional Reason 1 21

Additional Reason 2 21

Additional Reason 3 21

Additional Reason 4 21

Preliminary matters 21

The scope of the appeal - admitting the additional reasons arguments for consideration 22

Permitting Privacy International to intervene in the appeal 22

Permitting Clearview to rely on a written reply to Privacy International’s skeleton argument 23

Reliance on the evidence filed by Privacy International 23

Reliance on legal arguments not raised before the FTT 24

Legal framework 24

The Upper Tribunal’s approach on an appeal against a FTT decision 24

Relevant legislative provisions 25

The Treaty on European Union 25

The GDPR 25

The UK GDPR 29

The 95 Directive 31

The Law Enforcement Directive 31

State immunity and foreign act of state 32

Material scope: the caselaw 34

Territorial scope: the caselaw 39

The Travaux in respect of the GDPR 42

The EDPB Guidelines 43

The burden of proof in appeals against ICO Notices 47

Analysis 48

Article 2(2)(a) GDPR: material scope 48

The parties’ positions on material scope in brief 48

What the FTT decided in relation to Article 2(2)(a) 49

General approach to construction of the GDPRs 52

Domestic authorities on comity, extra-territoriality and utility 52

EU authorities on extra-territorial effect and comity 54

Certainty and foreseeability 56

Proportionality 57

EU law authorities on the construction of Article 2(2)(a) of the GDPR 57

Relevant comity principles 58

Our construction of Article 2(2)(a) 58

Analysis of Clearview’s proposed intersectional construction 60

Alternative analysis based on the ICO’s construction 63

Would regulation of Clearview’s data processing breach comity principles? 63

Article 3(2)(b) GDPR: territorial scope 64

Our approach to the construction of Article 3(2)(b) 64

What was the policy objective behind Article 3(2)(b)? 66

The meaning of “related to” in Article 3(2)(b) 68

The meaning of “behavioural monitoring” in Article 3(2)(b) 70

The Grounds of Appeal 73

Ground 1 74

Ground 2 75

Ground 3 78

Ground 4 81

Clearview’s Additional Reasons 81

Additional Reason 1 82

Additional Reason 2 82

Additional Reason 3 84

Additional Reason 4 86

Conclusion 87