Privacy

Ireland is the "world's de facto data police" enforcing the lion's share of the €1.78 billion in GDPR fines imposed across Europe last year, according to new analysis by DLA Piper. The 2023 figure includes a €1.2 billion fine imposed on Meta in Ireland, which is now the highest fine ever i

The UK's Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined the Ministry of Defence (MoD) £350,000 for disclosing personal information of people seeking relocation to the UK shortly after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021. On 20 September 2021, the MoD sent an email to a dis

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has launched a new unit which will "investigate, litigate and advocate" to protect human rights globally. The new unit, called Enforce, will respond to the "tech threat to democracy and human rights" by investigating technology and tech industry practices

Helen Dixon is to stand down as Ireland's data protection commissioner next February, she has announced. Ms Dixon was appointed to the role in September 2014 — nearly four years before the role was transformed by the GDPR — and will depart on 19 February 2024, she confirmed in a rare Lin

William Fry partner Leo Moore and senior associate Rachel Hayes consider a recent European judgment with significance for data anonymisation. A recent decision of the European General Court has shifted the goalposts for data anonymisation.

The Data Protection Commission (DPC) has been ordered to impose a continent-wide ban on Meta's illegal processing of personal data for behavioural advertising on Facebook and Instagram. An urgent binding decision adopted by the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) last Friday instructs the DPC to i

The UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has fined Equifax Ltd more than £11 million for failing to manage and monitor the security of UK consumer data it had outsourced to its parent company based in the US. The breach allowed hackers to access the personal data of millions of people and ex

The High Court has dismissed an appeal arising from a decision of the Data Protection Commissioner which attempted to run points which were not previously raised, and which failed to identify the point or points of law forming the basis of the appeal. Delivering judgment for the High Court, Mr Justi

Ireland's Data Protection Commission has imposed fines totalling €345 million on TikTok over GDPR breaches relating to the processing of children's personal data. The DPC's final decision, published today, follows a binding decision by the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) last month. Howev

The UK violated the privacy rights of two people whose communications were intercepted and accessed in the UK, despite them both being non-UK nationals living outside of UK borders, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled. US national Joshua Wieder and Italian national Claudio Guarnieri, both r

Four organisations including Vodafone Ireland have pleaded guilty to breaches of direct marketing laws following prosecutions brought by the Data Protection Commission (DPC). The cases came to a head in Dublin Metropolitan District Court yesterday, where Vodafone was fined €500 while Chill Insu

A reprimand issued to Airbnb by Ireland's data protection authority can help other businesses comply with rules on data minimisation and retention in the GDPR and avoid "purpose creep", Pinsent Masons partner Andreas Carney has said. The Data Protection Commission (DPC) recently published its decisi

Matheson partners Davinia Brennan, Anne-Marie Bohan, Deirdre Crowley, Carlo Salizzo and Michael Byrne and senior associate Connor Cassidy examine a recent DPC decision dealing with the scope of legal professional privilege restrictions under data protection law. The Data Protection Commission (DPC)

TikTok is facing a significant fine over its processing of children's data following a decision by the European Data Protection Board (EDPB). Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) launched an own-volition inquiry into TikTok's processing of personal data of registered users between the ages of

The Circuit Court has awarded €2,000 to an employee for non-material damage arising from a data breach by his employer. The plaintiff was identifiable in a training video relating to unacceptable work standards which was seen by management. Delivering judgment in the case, His Honour Judge John