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 »
Earlier this week the Data Protection Commissioner bemoaned the lack of attention to detail and the poor culture of Data Protection compliance practices in the Irish Public Service. He was right to do so. My experience as both a service user and as a consultant has been that there are excellent people making excellent efforts …
Examples of poor Data Protection Practice in Public Sector Read More »
Scanning twitter over my post-breakfast intra-planning pre-work coffee this morning I noticed tweets that were agog at a Minister for Health who is a medical doctor asking non-medical doctor political colleagues for lists of people who should have been given a medical card. The agogness was triggered by this news story on the RTE website. …
The Strife of Reilly (Tone at the Top revisited) Read More »
I’ve written in the past about the problems with the “tone at the top” around Data Protection and Data Privacy in Irish government and political circles. Bluntly, with few exceptions, it seems they don’t get it, don’t like it, and would rather it go away. That attitude cascades down into government departments where it is …
In the Western world our rights are under attack. In the UK for example the policy of the Tory party is to abolish the Human Rights Act (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21726612). In the fast changing world of data and information private companies and governments alike go to great lengths to peer inside our digital lives in a manner …
Below is an edited version of the letter I faxed to Brendan Howlin today regarding Freedom of Information Act fees proposed last Friday at the end of legislative drafting before the Committee Stage in the Irish Parliament. While I agree that public service resources need to be utilised efficiently, particularly in the current (apparently getting …
The Irish DPC has come under fire in the international media on foot of their failure to act on a complaint by Europe v Facebook about US multinationals with bases in Ireland allowing data to be accessed by the NSA. The gist of EVF’s complaint is that this access invalidates Safe Harbor and therefore makes …