Blog | Data Protection
Data recorded on smart meters should not be a secret.
ESB Networks have been installing smart meters all over Ireland and using them to collect detailed information on electricity consumption. The meters also record other information apart from consumption. We think this includes information about the quality of the electricity system, such as whether there …
Digital Rights Ireland agrees settlement with Irish Data Protection Commission over data breach complaint
In a victory for Facebook users whose data was leaked on the dark web, Digital Rights Ireland (DRI) has resolved its court case with the Data Protection Commission. This enables DRI to continue its campaign to vindicate the rights of E.U. residents whose data protection …
Complaint to DPC in relation to Facebook Data Dump Breach
Digital Rights Ireland has accepted a mandate from individuals in relation to the leaking of personal data from the Facebook website; this data was recently made available to the public. The individuals’ names, facebook IDs, and phone numbers were amongst the data in the breach. …
Statement on collation of dossiers by Department of Heath and Departmental ROPA document
We were disturbed by recent revelations on RTE’s Prime Time Investigates in relation to the Department of Health. According to the program, the Department was collating dossiers on families who had made claims against the Department and other state bodies to seek to obtain their …
Update on the DRI Article 80 Image Upload Case
We continue to make progress in our representation on behalf of victims of the Irish Discord leak. We expect to progress to Court in the next two months. Funds were raised via GoFundMe to help fund the legal costs. Those funds have been paid directly …
DRI Welcomes the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Bill
DRI welcomes the new Oireachtas law criminalising the sharing of intimate images without consent. The Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Bill introduces a new offense, “Distributing, publishing or sending threatening or grossly offensive communication” to address the ongoing crisis of online bullying and harassment. …
Cloak-and-Dagger and the Pandemic Unemployment Payment
The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection has an important task – to distribute cash to people who need it -. It’s a critical function in our society, especially at a time of instability like the COVID-19 crisis. This task is necessarily a feat of …
Reddit AMA on the Public Services Card
We’re delighted that DRI’s Antoin O Lachtnain will be hosting an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit’s r/Ireland today from 12pm – 3pm to answer questions about the Public Services Card, why we oppose it, and our new #no2psc campaign officially launching later today. The …
Tusla: questions to answer about data protection
Under Article 37.1 of the GDPR, all public bodies are required to have a Data Protection Officer (a DPO). The DPO is the person in the organization who is charged with ensuring the organization complies with data protection legislation. For organisations with large databases of …
Time for Ireland’s Data Protection Commission to step up on Google Location Tracking
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission has said it is not investigating Google in relation to the secret tracking of the location of Android users, despite Google’s EU headquarters being located in Dublin. The DPC claims that because of some paperwork delay on Google’s part in ‘incorporating …
Applying for a passport? You don’t need a Public Services Card.
A Public Services Card is not required to get a passport, although the Passport Office website incorrectly suggests that it is. A member of the public, Mr A, recently approached us. He wanted to travel abroad on a family holiday but his passport had expired …
DPC investigation into Public Services Card
We welcome the Data Protection Commissioner’s decision to extend her investigation into the Public Services Card. The Commissioner’s investigation is unprecedented in the Irish public sector. The card is essentially a national identity card. The database that lies behind it is an unofficial national population …