IT Law in Ireland

I've written quite a lot about the outdated nature of surveillance oversight in Ireland (PDF), including its lack of transparency.

The Irish Times reports today that a Garda Drone Unit has been created for various policing purposes: [Drones] look set to be deployed initially to pursue offenders, including those in vehicles, and for rapid dispatch to the scenes of major emergencies to…

Last year the European Data Protection Board commissioned me to write a report on legitimate interest as part of the series of One Stop Shop thematic digests and I'm delighted that this has now been published.

The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has published a draft Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill, with huge implications for digital searches in Ireland.

Does a law violate the privilege against self-incrimination by requiring an individual to reveal a device password when a search warrant is being executed?

In 2022 the European Parliament PEGA committee adopted a damning report on the use of spyware across the EU, following growing evidence of countries such as Spain, Poland, Greece and Hungary abusing spyware to spy on opposition politicians, the media, and…

I've just finished writing a chapter on data retention law in Ireland for a forthcoming collection edited by Eleni Kosta and Irene Kamara.

The EDPS has just published a comprehensive study by Prof.

I have a piece in today's Irish Times which identifies some serious concerns with the new Garda Powers Bill.

I have a piece in the Irish Times today discussing the kerfuffle about GAA clubs using WhatsApp to communicate with members.

I have an opinion piece in the Irish Independent on the new practice direction restricting social media posts from the courtroom.

I have a piece in today's Irish Times on the approach of the Irish state to privacy.

I'm very grateful to my colleagues who have signed a letter expressing concern at the growing use of the (supposedly optional) public services card as a mandatory requirement for essentials as passports and social welfare, creating a de facto national ID…

Following allegations of abuse of phone tapping by Irish police, I have an opinion piece in today's Irish Independent explaining why oversight mechanisms in this area are ineffective.

I'm delighted to be able to say that starting this week I'll be working as a consultant with FP Logue Solicitors.

The High Court gave a very important judgment yesterday (Independent.ie story) on the issues raised by the use of a search warrant to seize an entire email account where many of the emails in the account were not caught by the terms of the warrant.

Fiona de Londras has a letter in the Irish Times today, co-signed by a range of prominent lawyers, highlighting an injustice about to be done by the Irish state.

Yesterday Microsoft announced a radical new structure for some of its European data centres.

I spoke at the Law Society's 2015 Annual Human Rights Conference last Saturday about privacy and surveillance online in light of recent CJEU decisions - a particularly topical area following the decision in Schrems.

Irish politicians are getting nervous.

Poster put up in London internet cafes from 2010 onwards Background: It's not about asking owners to spy on their customers, it's about raising awareness," a police spokesman said, speaking anonymously in line with force policy.

Bank Holiday Mondays are quiet news days, making them a good time to get any old nonsense into the newspaper.

A fascinating story in today's Irish Times details what seems to be the first court case in Ireland following the Google Spain ruling.

Two cases have now been brought in Ireland seeking to take advantage of the Digital Rights Ireland decision from the European Court of Justice in order to exclude evidence in criminal trials.

The Indian Supreme Court today gave a landmark decision on the Information Technology Act 2000.