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PRESIDENT HIGGINS HAS signed the Data Protection Bill 2018 into law – mere hours before the EU’s new all-encompassing data regulation takes force.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will come into being from midnight tonight, after several years in gestation.
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It brings with it vastly heightened control over their own personal data for citizens (you can blame all those privacy policy emails you’ve been receiving on it as companies rush to get their houses in order), and hefty fines for companies that mistreat the information they hold on their customers.
A new data protection bill has been a necessity since GDPR was first announced, in order to bring Ireland’s laws in line with the overarching EU regulation.
That bill has been in the works since late last year. It was somewhat fast-tracked through the Oireachtas after its initial presentation in February, with the 25 May deadline in mind.
In its original guise, the bill came in for heightened criticism from privacy experts due to its seeming non-compliance with much of GDPR – for example, it initially provided that Irish state bodies be exempt from the eye-watering €20 million fines that are due to be handed out to institutions which breach the regulation.
Much of that criticism has been softened by the amendments the bill underwent before being approved by the Oireachtas, particularly in Dáil Éireann.
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Impossible to even fathom at the moment with the way the things are, Even if we got back to level 2, cases will shoot up again. Fingers crossed for a good antiviral or something against the effects of covid for 2021
@David Lee: or maybe God for bid, people just wear masks and clean their hands in household visit settings. The stats show households are responsible for 80% + of the clusters
Is this woman for real? Level 1&2 have sailed a long time ago. What planet is she on? I wonder which organisation is driving this? Wouldn’t be a certain so called amateur group.
@Catherine Gaffney: I’m a shamrock rovers fan and I’d be pleasantly surprised if there wasn’t some sort of gathering when we wrap up the league. It happened in Liverpool too. It’s not just the GAA but I guess they are the only sporting organisation to assume some higher social purpose in this country.
What kind of bull is this. The country is on the verge of level 4. This bull i heard in March that we are all in this together. You are having a laugh. Same people has to make big sacrifices. For what. 1095 covid cases today. And the talk of having small gigs. Get real for god sakes.
@Simon Dwyer: maybe it’s you who needs to get real. There’s crowds attending sporting fixtures all over Europe. We’re sleepwalking into oblivion on this country. For what? Cases!!!
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