Blog | Mass surveillance
Department of Justice continues tradition of secrecy on data retention
You might have noticed Karlin Lillington’s story in the Irish Times today about the Department of Justice’s new proposals on data retention. To make a long story short, it turns out that the Attorney General was not impressed with its remarkable plans to change the …
European Court upholds data retention… for the time being
The European Court of Justice has given its decision today in the Irish Government challenge to the Data Retention Directive – Ireland v. Parliament and Council (Press Release | Judgment). Unsurprisingly (in light of the Advocate General’s Opinion) it has held that the directive was …
Keeping an eye on UK developments
Karlin Lillington has an interesting story in today’s Irish Times on recent UK developments in surveillance and what they might mean for Ireland. Here’s an excerpt: NET RESULTS: When it comes to abuse of privacy, where Britain goes, Ireland tends to follow. That’s why we …
Time to take a close look at surveillance
Last week the Cabinet approved the heads of a Surveillance Bill which, if enacted, will allow Gardaí to break into private property to place covert video cameras and audio bugs, and to use evidence gathered in that way in criminal prosecutions. The Bill – which …
Oireachtas Committee rejects passenger records proposals
The Irish Times is reporting that the Joint Committee on European Scrutiny (a cross party committee which examines proposed EU legislation) has published a report which is highly critical of European proposals on passenger records. The draft Framework Decision on the Use of Passenger Name …
English DPP warns against “relentless pressure of a security State”
The outgoing head of the Crown Prosecution Service and DPP for England and Wales, Sir Ken MacDonald QC, has used his retirement speech to warn against UK government proposals to expand data retention: As I near my conclusion, let me, in my final public speech …
Data Retention – Advocate General recommends Irish Government challenge should be rejected
The Advocate General of the European Court of Justice has just given his Opinion (summary, PDF) on the Irish Government’s challenge and has recommended to the Court that the challenge should be rejected, holding that the Data Retention Directive was correctly dealt with as an …
Data Retention – Advocate General will give opinion on Irish Challenge in two weeks
The agenda of the European Court of Justice has just listed Tuesday, October 14 for the Advocate General’s opinion on the State’s challenge to the Data Retention Directive. This won’t be a final decision – the Advocate General gives an opinion which is merely advisory …
Implementing data retention – where’s the consultation?
This is a letter which the Department of Justice wrote in July 2006 indicating that they would consult us before drafting any measures implementing the Data Retention Directive. 18 months later we still haven’t heard anything concrete from them, despite reports that they plan to …
Irish Privacy Expert – “Big Brother philosophy threatens public’s privacy”
Professor Robert Clark is a leading Irish expert on privacy and the law. Here’s what he had to say in the Independent about the Government’s handling of personal privacy: Big Brother Philosophy Threatens Public’s Privacy Do the Irish Government and state agencies — health, prison, …
80 Government laptops missing – how much of our personal information is in the wrong hands?
Today’s Irish Independent covers the revelation (via Ruari Quinn’s Dáil questions) that over 80 government laptops – together with other items such as USB keys and Blackberries – have been lost or stolen over the last five years. It appears from the responses to those …
Today is European Data Protection Day – What can you do to safeguard your privacy?
Today, Monday 28th, is European Data Protection Day. Last year we marked this with a post giving some practical ways in which you could protect your privacy. This year, the single most important thing you could do is to help stop data retention in Ireland. …