Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 7 November 2019

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment

Session 4: International Collaboration

Mr. Adrian Lovett:

I will take both those questions. Regarding the first question, I wish we could put an excellent national model before the committee. I think what has happened in Australia, and Ireland is looking at something similar in terms of the role of the Data Protection Commissioner, is important. Our view is that what has been taken forward in Germany is not a model to follow so there is a lot of work to be done there. The committee is at the front line of trying to figure this out - what it looks like at a national level. I agree with Professor Woods that for us, a focus on the process is as, or possibly more, important as a focus on the end content. Our hope is that the idea about transparency reports and human rights assessments will expose not just the numbers of take-downs and so on, which we are starting to see more of, but the basis for decisions. One could look at it and say "well, we wouldn't have done it that way" or "we can see why they came to that conclusion". It involves having that qualitative understanding of how decisions are being made.

Mr. Dick mentioned Indonesia. I was there earlier this year and spoke to Ministers and so on. To underline the challenge mentioned by Mr. Dick, it was clear that when we and some government officials were talking about a healthy Internet, we meant very different things.

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