Irish authority is indirectly called into question.
The European Commission announced on February 20 that it was preparing an initiative to further specify the procedures relating to the application of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The latter should facilitate the way in which the authorities of European countries implement this regulation. It is expected for the second quarter of the year.
Make The Procedures Identical in The 27 Member Countries
“Harmonizing certain aspects of the administrative procedure” and “promoting the proper functioning of cooperation and dispute resolution mechanisms related to the GDPR”, these are the ambitions of Brussels through these future measures. The aim is to “streamline cooperation between national data protection authorities when applying the GDPR in cross-border cases”, notes the Commission. More details are expected in the coming weeks.
Designed to strengthen the protection of Internet user data within the European Union, the GDPR has certain flaws. It is often singled out for its inefficiency in the biggest cases, which generally involve large tech companies. These failures are frequently blamed on the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), Ireland’s regulator, which has come under fire for being slow to deal with complaints.
The Irish Problem
Ireland is the European headquarters of many digital giants, such as Google, Meta or Apple, due to its tax advantages. If the installation of these companies on its territory should simplify the application of the GDPR by the DPC, the latter is regularly accused of laxity. In March 2022, she was taken to court by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties for dragging out a complaint against Google and the IAB Europe dating from 2018.
In order to strengthen its activity, the Irish CNIL plans to recruit two new commissioners to support Helen Dixon, the sole director of the regulator, who should become its president. Initially scheduled for the beginning of the year, this recruitment campaign has not yet started. A delay faithful to the habits of the Irish authority which could soon have to comply with the calendar requirements of its European counterparts.
This article is originally published on siecledigital.fr
