RTÉ News reports that Dr. Jerry Cowley, Independent TD for Mayo, is to ask the complaints referee to investigate apparent official tapping of his telephone:
The independent Mayo TD Jerry Cowley has called for an investigation to establish if his phone is being tapped by gardaí.
He said he had raised the matter with the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, and got what he described as a ‘less than satisfactory reply’.
He said his suspicions that his phone might be being tapped had been raised by ‘a series of unusual coincidences’.
But he declined to give any further details of these. He said: ‘I want to know for certain if my phone is being tapped’.
Deputy Cowley has been closely associated with the Shell to Sea campaign which opposes the current Corrib Gas pipeline plans in Co Mayo.
In a democracy it is particularly worrying if the Government is monitoring our communications with our elected representatives with the potential that this will be used to undermine the opposition for political purposes. In the United Kingdom, the Wilson Doctrine addresses these concerns by prohibiting the tapping of MPs’ (and Peers’) telephones. But that rule has no counterpart in Ireland.
March 29th, 2007
It’s great to see that Dublin City Council are planning free wireless internet access for Dublin – hopefully replacing the expensive and patchy coverage currently available.
One issue that will be important in designing and implementing this system is whether it respects the privacy of its users. This has already been controversial in San Francisco where the ACLU have criticised the proposed ad-supported model:
“The business model of a municipal wireless system should not include tracking and profiling user activities in order to sell or trade data or develop targeted advertising based on user information and online activities,” an attachment to the letter argued. “Such a business model creates an incentive to collect as much data about an individual and maintain it for as long as possible in order to create profiles about users.”
At the moment, the Dublin project is still at the planning stage, with the Council tendering for advice. Consequently, we’ve written to the Head of IT in Dublin City Council (Brian Curtis) asking him to let us know how privacy and data protection issues are dealt with in that tender and to include us in the consultation process to ensure that privacy issues are dealt with from the start.
February 8th, 2007
EUROPEAN DATA PROTECTION DAY – PROTECT YOUR PRIVACY ONLINE AND OFF
European Data Protection Day takes place on Sunday 28th January. Irish civil
rights group Digital Rights Ireland (DRI) has put together a list of things
you can do to protect your privacy. DRI Chairman TJ McIntyre said:
“European research shows that people are concerned about their privacy but
generally feel they know little about what they can do to protect
themselves. Digital Rights Ireland has put up on its website a list of
practical things you can do to protect your privacy, online and off. If you
are interested in stopping spam text messages, cutting down on junkmail,
stopping telephone calls trying to sell you something, or finding out what
information a company or body holds about you then visit
www.digitalrights.ie for more information.”
Background for Editors:
European Data Protection Day is organised by the Council of Europe.
Digital Rights Ireland is a non-profit group devoted to protecting civil and
human rights in a digital age.
January 28th, 2007
Next Sunday, the 28th of January, is the inaugural Council of Europe Data Protection day.
Our view is Data privacy is something for every individual to look after. Private companies, government, hospitals, all store information on you.
You are entitled to view that information if you want to.
You are entitled by law to have incorrect information about you removed or amended.
Digital Rights Ireland suggests 5 ways to protect your data and personal information.
1. Stop SMS Spam
Did you enter into a competition, put your mobile phone number on a form, or give your number to a company for any reason?
Are you now getting SMS messages about “winning a competition-with no prize”, new services or other information you don’t want to know about?
If so your mobile number has been provided to someone sending SMS spam.
Unsolicited SMS text messages are against the law in Ireland.
Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner explains simply what the law is regarding unwanted SMS messages.
What can you do?
First, do not delete the message.
You can make a complaint to the Data Protection Commissioner, by e-mailing them.
Click here to send then a complaint, with the number the SMS came from, your telephone number, the date and time of the message and the text of the message.
For full details please read the information on making a complaint, or read our guideto dealing with SMS spam.
2. E-Mail the Minister for Justice and request him to stop spying on all Irish individuals.
The Minister for Justice has been responsible for laws requiring telephone companies to track the movements of everyone with a mobile phone and monitor every email you send. Digital Rights Ireland have brought la egal action to stop this.
You can e-mail the Minister for Justice, and ask him to stop.
3. Stop getting junkmail and junk telephone calls
Are you continously receiving unsolicited telephone calls from companies, receiving unsolicited mail from direct marketing companies?
If so, you have the right to have your details removed from that database. You can exercise this right simply by writing to the organisation concerned. The organisation must write back to you within 40 days confirming that they have dealt with your request.
You can also make a complaint to the Data Protection Commissioner. Click here to make a complaint via their website
You can read the full “Consumer Guide to Dealing with Unsolicited Direct Marketing” as published by the Data Protection Commissioner here.
4. Make a personal information request.
If a company, mobile phone company, telephone company, insurance company, local authority or any other body has information stored about you, you have the right to obtain a copy, clearly explained, of any information relating to you.
All you need to do is write to the organisation or individual concerned and ask for it. By email is fine.
Your request could read as follows:
Dear …
I wish to make an access request under the Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003 for a copy of any information you keep about me, on computer or in manual form. I am making this request under section 4 of the Data Protection Acts.
You can read the full guidelines on the Data Protection Commissioners website.
You should note that you may be asked to pay a fee, but this cannot exceed €6.35.
Once you have made your request, and paid any appropriate fee, you must be given the information within 40 days, although most organisations manage to reply much sooner.
5. Donate to Digital Rights Ireland.
Digits Rights Ireland is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to defending Civil, Human and Legal rights in a Digital age Your support is greatly needed to help us continue our work.
There are a number of ways you can support us:
1. make an on-going donation.
2. make a once off donation.
3. or buy one of our t-shirts. We have a number to choose from.
And until Sunday 28th January we are dropping the price of the t-shirts to cost price, so make sure you get one now!
Please help us make European Data Protection Day a success. Please tell your friends and family about our work.
January 24th, 2007
The Irish Centre for European Law are holding a conference on “Privacy: Developments in the European Court of Human Rights” on Wed. 13th December. They’ve secured a superb line up of speakers:
Professor William Binchy, T.C.D. (Chair Panel I)
Gavin Millar Q.C., Doughty Street Chambers, London (Gavin Millar Q.C. will present a paper co-authored by Dr Caoilfhionn Gallagher.)
Marie McGonagle, Head of Department, National University of Ireland, Galway
Vincent Browne, Journalist (Chair Panel II)
Seamus Dooley, Irish Secretary of the National Union of Journalists
Professor Colum Kenny, B.L., School of Communications, DCU
Gerard Colleran, Editor, The Star
Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman, Supreme Court (Chair Panel III)
Patrick Walshe, Matheson Ormsby Prentice
Eoin McCullogh, Senior Counsel
Full details here (Word doc.)
November 29th, 2006
Peter Hustinx, European Data Protection Supervisor:
Terrorism and organised crime should not be used as excuses for passing laws which undermine people’s privacy and data protection rights … It is a misconception that protection of privacy and personal data holds back the fight against terrorism and organised crime … Good data protection actually goes hand in hand with legitimate crime fighting because it increases the quality of databases and at the same time makes sure that only the right people can access them.
September 21st, 2006
Disclosure of your personal information can expose the most private details of your live and leave you vulnerable to identity theft. Unfortunately Irish law doesn’t require companies to tell you when their security has been compromised and your personal information stolen. The first you might know of it is when you discover that your fraudulent alter ego has enjoyed a spending spree on your credit card or run up huge debts in your name. But by then it’s too late.
We believe that this should be changed. Since 2003 California has had a law which requires companies to warn customers whose data has been compromised. This enables victims to take steps to protect themselves (such as cancelling credit cards), and has proven to be very successful. We believe that Irish customers deserve equal protection.
The EU Commission is now proposing something similar to the Californian law, though more limited. The proposal applies to “electronic communications services” (such as telephone or internet services) and would require providers to “notify their customers of any breach of security leading to the loss, modification or destruction of, or unauthorised access to, personal customer data.”
As the Commission dryly notes, this disclosure requirement would “create an incentive for providers to invest in security”. More importantly, it will set a precedent which will help to bring in a wider law requiring warnings in all areas, not just telecommunications.
To support this proposal you can send an email to the Commission, cc.d to our Department of Communications. Click here to send a prepared email of support – you need only fill in your name and [optional] address. (Your email may be published on the Europa website unless confidentiality is requested. Where confidentiality is requested, neither the name of the contributor nor the contribution will be published.)
Full details of the proposal (See p.29 of a long PDF file.)
September 13th, 2006