The 19 finalised decisions issued by the watchdog in 2023 included a €1.2 billion fine on Meta concerning EU-US data transfers, and a €345 million fine on TikTok relating to the processing of children’s personal data.

Over the course of the year, the DPC received 11,200 new cases from individuals — a 20 per cent increase on 2022 — and concluded 11,147 cases.

Dr Des Hogan, chairperson and commissioner for data protection, said: “My fellow commissioner Dale Sunderland and I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge with deep gratitude for commissioner Helen Dixon’s stewardship of the Commission over the past ten years.

“Commissioner Dixon was the sole commissioner for data protection during her tenure which concluded in early 2024.

“Thanks to her leadership, and the commitment and tireless work of the DPC’s staff, we find ourselves taking over a respected and outward looking regulator — one with the values of vindicating the rights of the individual through fair and proportionate regulation.”

Commissioner Dale Sunderland added: “2023 was a busy year in personal data rights protection. The year saw a significant increase in complaints dealt with by the Data Protection Commission with record fines issued and corrective orders imposed following cross-border and national inquiries.

“Throughout 2023, the DPC sought to uphold the individual’s right to the protection of their personal data.

“This critical work was greatly supported by data protection officers and data protection staff and teams in organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors who play a critical role in championing data protection rights, acting as a critical friend to those organisations by keeping the compliance conversation front and centre.”