Ireland will be ‘a key player’ in regulation of online advertising – Ryan
The Oireachtas Communications Committee has agreed to a Green Party request to call Facebook and the Data Protection Commissioner to appear before it over the Cambridge Analytica scandal. It is expected that the Committee will consider the issue in mid-April.
Speaking today, Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan TD said that, given Ireland’s position as a base for large tech multinationals, it will be a ‘key player’ in the regulation of online advertising, and in data protection.
He said: “I have asked the chair of the Oireachtas Communications Committee, Hildegarde Naughton TD, to bring representatives from Facebook and the Data Protection Commissioner before the committee in response to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. I’m glad that my request has been agreed. While the activities carried out by Cambridge Analytica were outside this jurisdiction, Ireland’s position as a base and hub for tech multi-nationals puts us at the heart of this issue.
“Ireland must lead the way on data protection, and in how online activity, particularly advertising, is regulated. Having Facebook and the Data Protection Commissioner in to explain their role in this situation, and to see how we can proceed from here, will be very useful.”
