Supreme Court: Use of IP Addresses Legal for Child Pornography Detection

The Supreme Court has ruled that the use of specialized software (ICACCOPS) by the Police to identify IP addresses of users distributing child pornography is legal, according to an announcement by the Law Office.

The decision, dated July 30, 2025, rejected a suspect's request to annul a warrant to access an IP address, which was secured during the investigation of a case involving the distribution of child pornography between September 2022 and January 2025.

The court ruled that the retention of IP addresses by internet providers is legal and does not constitute personal data of the user, as it belongs to the provider. Police access to them, following a court order, is also legal.

The Supreme Court emphasized that a contrary approach would lead to impunity for crimes committed via the internet.

The case was handled by Andreas P. Aristides and Nadia Koliarou on behalf of the Attorney General.