Every so often I read things in the newspaper that make me go “Yay!”. More frequently I read things that make me go “Boo!”. Today, as with other days, I read something that made me go “WHAT THE F….?!?!”. Over the past few weeks the Irish Times has done a bang up job breaking some …
Roll Up, Roll Up – see the amazing psychic dog! (minor update) Read More »
A little under a year ago I wrote two posts on this blog regarding the Irish DPC, Facebook, and Safe Harbor. The blog posts in question are here and here Those posts were written under less than ideal conditions; sitting at train stations or in cramped train carriages, eyes streaming with hayfever (or perhaps I …
I use a standing desk when working in my office (and if I could find a light weight portable option I’d use one on client sites as well). Many of the greatest leaders have used standing desks. There are proven medical benefits to getting off your backside when working. It’s worth bearing in mind that …
It was great to hear the Data Protection Commissioner on Newstalk this afternoon explaining the situation regarding the proposed TV License data slurp. I’ll post a link to the podcast when it is available. A quick summary of key points that he made is as follows: The Government must pass legislation to allow for any access to …
TV Licences, Data Protection, and the comments of the DPC Read More »
This morning’s Irish Times reports this morning that the (current) Irish Communications Minister  is seeking cabinet approval for powers to enable the agency that collects TV Licences (currently An Post, the Irish post office) to access subscriber koi data from subscription TV providers such as Sky or UPC to crack down on TV licence evasion. We are …
TV Licence checks and “Data Protection Principles” [updated] Read More »
So, within hours of me blogging about data protection consent issues in the Facebook mood manipulation study, the Register has the EXCLUSIVE that Facebook is being investigated by the irish DPC with specific questions around the consent relied upon. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/07/01/uk_and_irish_data_watchdogs_wade_in_on_facebook_messin_with_your_head_scandal/ I’m not saying anyone in an office above a Centra in Portarlington reads this blog …
Right. Having gotten some day job work out of the way I return to this topic to tease out the issues further. One aspect that I didn’t touch on in the last post was whether or not Data Protection exemptions exist for research and if those exemptions apply in this case. This discussion starts from …
Facebook, Manipulation, and Data Protection – part 2 Read More »
This is an initial post based on the information I have to hand today (1st July 2014). I’ve written it because I’ve had a number of queries this morning about the Data Protection implications of Facebook’s research activity. I’m writing it here and not on my company’s website because it is a work in progress and …
Facebook Research, Timeline Manipulation, & EU Data Protection Law Read More »