European Data Protection Commissioners have met in Dublin and have called for a clear legal basis for the sharing of information among regulators from other areas such as competition and consumer protection.
The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) hosted the meeting of the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) and described it as an opportunity to strengthen Ireland’s position as a digital regulatory hub in the context of Ireland’s EU Council Presidency.
The DPC is responsible for regulating some of the world’s biggest tech companies, such as Meta, Google, TikTok and X, because they all have their European headquarters in Ireland.
In the past, the European Data Protection Board has ordered the DPC to impose higher fines on platforms following disagreements among European data watchdogs.
For example, in September 2021 the DPC had wanted to impose a fine of €50 million on WhatsApp but following objections from some of its fellow European authorities, the EDPB ordered it to increase the fine to €225 million.
In May 2023, the DPC imposed a record €1.2 billion fine on Meta but in its original ruling, the commission did not recommend a financial penalty.
However, some of its fellow European data watchdogs disagreed and ultimately the EDPB ordered that a fine be imposed.
‘More and more in line with each other’
Speaking in Dublin today, Anu Talus, Chair of the European Data Protection Board, said that there were cases like this in this past, when all regulators were learning how to implement new data protection rules.
“The GDPR was new legislation, so we were all learning how to implement it,” Ms Talus said.
“And yes, indeed, in the past, there have been these cases, but I would also draw attention to how things are running now.”
“I think that we are more and more in line with each other and have a shared approach on the amount of fines, among the data protection authorities,” she added.
Many of the large fines proposed by the DPC in recent years have been accepted without objection from other European watchdogs.
The EU presidency has put a spotlight on Ireland’s relationship with big tech companies.
Last week, 50 academics wrote an open letter calling on the Government to recuse itself from negotiating legislation relating to digital policy and corporate tax during its EU presidency, because of what they described as its “questionable track record” and close relationship with big tech companies.
In response, the Taoiseach Micheál Martin said Ireland would be an “honest broker” in all debates, including those relating to tech policy.
He also pointed to the substantial fines that have been handed down in recent years by the DPC.
