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Don’t let Big Tech lobbyists exploit our data!

Don’t let Big Tech lobbyists exploit our data!

To the European Commission, the Irish Government, and the Irish Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration

Petition

We call on the European Commission to ensure 

  • The impartiality and independence of all national Data Protection Authorities.
  • Especially the impartiality and independence of the Data Protection Commission in Ireland, responsible to enforce Europe’s GDPR rules on tech companies operating all over Europe from Ireland. 

We also call on Ireland to ensure the independence of their data supervisory body by

  • Re-hiring a new Commissioner to the Irish Data Protection Commission with a track-record of protecting citizen rights and fundamental freedoms, and data protection in particular.
  • Doing an independent review of the hiring process by which the current appointment was made.

Why is this important?

Ireland has appointed an ex-Facebook lobbyist as its new data chief - the person meant to keep Big Tech in check. [1]

Ireland is home to all the Big Tech companies. They chose it because of low taxes. And because regulators there have looked the other way for years.

Now, the government has dropped all pretense, and put a Facebook insider in charge of policing Big Tech. Policing their former bosses.

What happens in Ireland affects us all. If Europe’s privacy laws don’t apply to Big Tech in Ireland, they don’t protect anyone, anywhere in Europe.

Digital rights groups have raised the alarm, but the government hopes it will disappear. [2]

Enough of us need to speak up and make them appoint someone who actually defends our rights, not corporate profits.

They have their backroom deals. We have people power. Every signature adds to the growing outcry. Together we can force the EU to call on Ireland to reverse course.

Add your name now to demand real data protection in Ireland — and all of Europe.

References:

[1] https://euobserver.com/digital/ar6c78a452
https://www.politico.eu/article/big-tech-lawyer-key-in-picking-irelands-newest-privacy-commissioner/ 

[2] https://www.ecpmf.eu/open-letter-recent-appointment-of-third-commissioner-at-the-data-protection-commission/
https://www.iccl.ie/digital-data/complaint-v-ireland-to-european-commission-re-process-appointing-ex-meta-lobbyist-as-data-protection-commissioner/