Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)

As we have heard today and as will be on "Prime Time" this evening, it has been reported that the location data of tens of thousands of Irish people is being sold online. This data tells the buyer where people live and their place of work even if it is some sensitive location like a military base or a women's refuge. It tells them when people went to the doctor, where the park is that they take their kids to play in and whom they met there. That buyer is anyone who can reasonably pose as a company that wants this data for analytics. That could be a vengeful ex-boyfriend, a disgruntled former colleague or anyone on the Internet who wants to know exactly where someone is.

The reason that these companies believe that it is okay to sell this information is that with every app we download and every website we visit, we accept terms and conditions. In the thousands of words of legal jargon that they do not want us to read, they give themselves the right to sell that location data to whomever they want. The Tánaiste just gave a response indicating that this is new but it is not a new issue. It is something the DPC has been aware of for many years and has failed to act on. Why is our regulator unable to regulate when it comes to our most personal information? How can the Tánaiste stand over the DPC as a credible organisation? The Government's answer to any of these issues relating to online safety is to work with big tech companies and not to limit them. When will it enforce and properly police the behaviour of these platforms?

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