Public Services Card

The Department of Social Protection has known since 2021 that its biometric processing of personal data arising from the public services card (PSC) is illegal, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has said after receiving new documents through a freedom of information request. A data protect

The Department of Social Protection and the Data Protection Commission (DPC) have reached an agreement on the processing of personal data in relation to SAFE registration and the public services card (PSC). The data protection watchdog had concluded in August 2019 that there was no legal basis for r

The UN's special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights has raised concerns with the Irish Government over the impact of the Public Services Card (PSC) on the rights of welfare recipients. In his 40-page letter, Professor Philip Alston, a respected scholar of human rights law, questioned "wh

The Department of Social Protection has formally appealed against the enforcement measures launched by the Data Protection Commission over the Public Services Card (PSC) scheme. The data protection watchdog launched proceedings against the department after concluding that the expansion of the scheme

The requirement to hold a Public Services Card (PSC) in order to apply for the National Childcare Scheme is illegal, highly discriminatory and will violate the privacy rights of people living in poverty, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has warned. The alternative paper application proce

A civil liberties group has announced plans to submit a legal complaint over the Public Services Card (PSC) on behalf of more than 1,000 people. Digital Rights Ireland (DRI) said its new #no2psc campaign, launched yesterday, represented the first "mass action" legal campaign in Ireland.

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has reiterated its call for the Government to comply with the legal directions of the Data Protection Commission (DPC) on the Public Services Card (PSC) scheme. Responding to the publication of the DPC's full report on Tuesday night, the civil liberties g

The Data Protection Commission is planning to launch enforcement proceedings against the Department of Social Protection in relation to the Public Services Card (PSC) scheme, according to reports. The watchdog's report on the scheme, which found that its expansion had no legal basis, was published b

Privacy experts from the US, India and Kenya have sharply criticised the Irish Government's handling of privacy concerns over the Public Services Card (PSC) scheme. In statements issued after an international conference on privacy and information rights co-organised by the Irish Council for Civil Li

The Government is considering plans to bring the Data Protection Commissioner, Helen Dixon, to court in order to pave the way for its continued use of the controversial Public Services Card (PSC), according to reports. The data protection watchdog announced last month that it had found there is no l

The Department of Social Protection and the Department of Public Expenditure could be liable for fines under the GDPR over confusion about who controls the database underpinning the Public Services Card (PSC). Privacy experts have cast doubt in the data-sharing agreement struck by the two department

The Data Protection Commission's landmark report on the Public Services Card (PSC) will not be published for at least another week. The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection has said it will not publish the report until a "full consideration of the report is complete".

Civil liberties campaigners have criticised the Government for pushing ahead with the roll-out of the Public Services Card (PSC) despite receiving a critical interim report from the Data Protection Commission (DPC) over a year ago. Last week, the Data Protection Commission (DPC) said there is no leg

Lawyers and opposition politicians have cast doubt on whether the flaws in the Public Services Card (PSC) scheme can be fixed through legislation. The embattled scheme was dealt a serious blow on Friday after the Data Protection Commission (DPC) said there was no legal basis to require the PSC to ac

There is no legal basis for requiring the Public Services Card (PSC) to access many public services which now require it, the Data Protection Commission (DPC) has ruled. The data protection watchdog has warned that the PSC, originally designed for welfare claimants, has become "far-removed from its