Latest news with #GrahamDoyle
The Journal
6 days ago
- Business
- The Journal
TikTok under investigation over claims it misled Ireland's data regulator
IRELAND'S PRIVACY REGULATOR has opened an investigation into social media platform TikTok over allegations that it mislead the agency during a previous probe into the handling of European users' data. TikTok in May were fined €250m after it was found that it had stored European users' data on Chinese-hosted online servers . During that inquiry, the firm originally told the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) that the information was not housed within China and that its Beijing-based employees accessed users' details remotely. Advertisement It was later confirmed by TikTok that it had given erroneous information to investigators, the DPC said. On foot on that, a fresh inquiry has now opened into the platform's accountability when it comes to handling and managing the data of European citizens. TikTok is also under investigation for allegedly failing to adhere to Section 31 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which places an obligation on companies to cooperate with investigators from the DPC and other European privacy agencies. The transfer of data to China is also being reviewed once more, the DPC said today. In the first investigation, TikTok did correct the statements it originally gave to the Irish data watchdog, which had been probing the platform's compliance with GDPR and other relevant laws on behalf of the entire EU. It said that the original denial of the allegations was incorrect and that the company did in fact store information in China. Deputy Commissioner at the DPC Graham Doyle said that the agency was taking the mistaken statements very seriously at the time . Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
19-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Department head 'unhappy' about housing charity leaving hotel it bought empty for three years
The head of the Department of Housing has acknowledged he is 'unhappy' with a situation which saw the Peter McVerry Trust purchase a Dublin hotel for €6.2m which has lain vacant for the past three years. Secretary general of the department, Graham Doyle, told the Public Accounts Committee on Thursday that the funding for the hotel had been part obtained via his department. He said it is 'working through' the options in terms of actioning the vacant building for social housing. The Georgian building in question, formerly Latchford's Hotel on Dublin's Baggot Street, was first purchased by the charity in 2022 after being placed for sale on the open market. The 20-bedroom hotel has remained vacant ever since in the aftermath of financial governance scandals which have shaken the Trust, one of the country's largest providers of homeless accommodation. Mr Doyle said the hotel had been funded by his department before the difficulties at the housing charity had emerged. He noted that the property had initially been purchased with a view to providing emergency accommodation. 'The understanding was planning was in place (for the hotel). Some planning issues arose in relation to it. I understand that the council and others are now working to look at how that property can be used for social housing at this point in time,' he said. Fianna Fáil's Paul McAuliffe said the vacancy of such a property, given the struggles of the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive to provide accommodation and that the department had funded the purchase, is 'questionable'. In response, Mr Doyle said he is 'unhappy with that'. He said, however, that the various recommendations made by the Comptroller and Auditor General on foot of the scandal – which suggested that oversight of grant funding to housing bodies be strengthened and that approval from the Department of Public Expenditure be obtained in each instance – have now been fully implemented. The Trust had caused opprobrium among the committee members in advance by declining to attend to give evidence. Mr Doyle, while declining to comment on that decision, did say that the 2023 accounts for the charity should have been published by now. The charity had said it may be in a position to give evidence at PAC once that publication has occurred. Read More
Irish Examiner
18-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Department finds 'positive indicators' of increasing housing supply, committee to hear
The head of the department of housing says that 'positive indicators' have emerged in terms of increasing housing supply, but that 'major challenges' remain. The department's secretary general Graham Doyle will on Thursday tell the Public Accounts Committee that in 2023 the number of new homes delivered was up 10% on that delivered in 2022, exceeding the Government's overarching Housing For All plan by nearly 13%, with 32,695 properties completed over the 12 months. He will add that 41,224 planning permissions were granted for new homes in 2023. However, he will also acknowledge the ongoing issues with delivering adequate supply for Ireland's population. 'At a broader level we continue to see major challenges around increased demand, increased costs and complex issues around unlocking supply at the pace and scale required. "This will remain an area of acute focus for the Department,' Mr Doyle is expected to say. Comptroller and Auditor General Seamus McCarthy is expected to tell the committee his agency has established that the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive provided a number of funding advances to the Peter McVerry trust between March and September 2023 without the Government's approval. After it emerged that there were serious issues with the financial fundamentals of the trust in 2023, the Government was forced to bail the charity out to the tune of €15m. Mr McCarthy will also tell the committee that while €2m in normal funding provided to the trust was approved by the department at the same time, €5.3m was provided by the executive with none of the advances approved. The trust will not be present at the hearing, having declined an invitation to attend the PAC for a second time citing the investigations into its finances which are still in train. Read More
The Journal
12-06-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Department of Social Protection fined €550k for unlawful database of millions of Irish people's faces
IRELAND'S MAJOR DATA watchdog has fined the Department of Social Protection €550,000 following a major investigation into its use of facial recognition technology linked to the Public Services Card. The Data Protection Commission (DPC) inquiry, launched in July 2021, examined the DSP's 'SAFE 2′ registration process, which requires applicants to submit biometric facial data used for facial matching as part of their card application. The Public Services Card is needed for accessing many welfare and public services, including applications for Child Benefit, Jobseeker's Benefit and driving licences. A sample Public Services Card. Department of Social Protection Department of Social Protection 'SAFE 2′ registration has led to the Department of Social Protection holding biometric facial templates for about 70% of Ireland's population, making it one of the largest biometric data collections in the country. The DPC inquiry found that the Department did not have a valid legal reason to collect or keep this sensitive facial data. According to the DPC, the Department also failed to clearly inform people about how their data would be used, and the Department's privacy risk assessment was 'incomplete'. As well as the €550,000 fine, the data watchdog ordered the department to cease processing biometric data for 'SAFE 2′ registration by March next year, unless a lawful basis is identified. Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said that the DPC decision 'does not challenge the principle of SAFE 2 registration itself'. 'The technical and security measures in place for handling biometric data are sound,' Doyle said in a statement. Advertisement 'Our concerns relate to whether the legal framework and the way the Department of Social Protection operates the system meet the requirements of data protection law. We found clear gaps in that regard.' The DPC emphasised the need for a clear and precise legal basis when processing such sensitive data, as required by European privacy laws (GDPR), to protect individuals from arbitrary interference with their privacy rights. The DPC's decision was made by Data Protection Commissioner Dale Sunderland, and was notified to the Department of Social Protection this week. The Department of Social Protection has yet to comment on the ruling. 'More than a decade late' The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL), which has campaigned against the use of facial recognition in the Public Services Card for more than 15 years, welcomed the decision but described it as 'more than a decade late and inadequate.' Joe O'Brien, ICCL's Executive Director, said the ruling 'vindicates the actions taken by ICCL and Digital Rights Ireland against the Department of Employment and Social Protection'. He said the ruling also confirmed what they had long argued – that the Department unlawfully collected facial records from millions without proper legal grounds or clear explanation. 'The Public Services Card, which was estimated to have cost the State €100 million, trespassed upon human rights and infringed EU and Irish law,' O'Brien said. 'The Department effectively created a de facto national biometric ID system by stealth over 15-plus years without a proper legal foundation. This illegal database of millions of Irish people's biometric data must be deleted.' Olga Cronin, Senior Policy Officer at ICCL, criticised the mandatory nature of the facial recognition process. 'The Department unlawfully forced vulnerable people to give it their biometric data before it would help them,' Cronin said. 'It demanded data from people who needed its help to put food on the table. We should not have to trade our biometric data to access essential services to which we are already legally entitled.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
BreakingNews.ie
12-06-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Public Services Card database of millions of Irish people's faces declared illegal
The Data Protection Commission (DPC) has found that the collection of facial (biometric) data for the Public Services Card (PSC) is unlawful. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) said it partially welcomes the findings, but said the decision is "more than a decade late and inadequate". Advertisement The Government had previously claimed that the facial records were not biometric data. On Thursday, the DPC found that the Department of Social Protection (DSP) unlawfully collected facial records (biometric data) from 70 per cent of the population of Ireland over 15 years. In addition, the ICCL said the department failed to tell people why it was collecting their facial records and whether it was legal. In light of the infringements discovered by the DPC, it reprimanded the Department of Social Protection by issuing administrative fines totalling €550,000. It also issued an order to the department requiring it to cease processing of biometric data in connection with SAFE 2 registration within nine months of this decision if the department cannot identify a valid lawful basis. Advertisement Deputy commissioner, Graham Doyle, said: 'It is important to note that none of the findings of infringement identified, nor the corrective powers exercised by the DPC, pertain to the rollout of SAFE 2 registration by the DSP as a matter of principle. "The DPC did not find any evidence of inadequate technical and organisational security measures deployed by the DSP in connection with SAFE 2 registration in the context of this inquiry. "This inquiry was concerned with assessing whether the legislative framework presently in place for SAFE 2 registration complies with the requirements of data protection law and whether the DSP operates SAFE 2 registration in a data protection-compliant manner, and the findings announced today identify a number of deficiencies in this regard.' 'Illegal facial database' The ICCL said the Data Protection Commission failed to take decisive action on Thursday and said that, after 15 years, its actions are not enough. Advertisement The ICCL is insisting on the immediate deletion of the illegal facial data database. It has also called for the department and the DPC to explain to the Oireachtas and the public how this system was permitted to operate unlawfully for so long. Executive Director of ICCL, Joe O'Brien, said: 'For many years, ICCL and our colleagues at Digital Rights Ireland, have argued that the PSC's mandatory use of facial recognition technology is unlawful. 'This is a partial win for the privacy and data protection rights of people living in Ireland. It confirms what we have advocated for, for many years - that the Public Services Card, which was estimated to have cost the State €100 million, trespassed upon human rights and infringed EU and Irish law. 'The DPC decision is over a decade late and does not go far enough. The Department effectively created a de facto national biometric ID system by stealth over 15-plus years without a proper legal foundation. This illegal database of millions of Irish people's biometric data must be deleted.'
