Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I know Senator Higgins is waiting to come in, but it is easier to stay on this thread and jump back to her. I understand the point in respect of Schedule 2 data and the seriousness of the threat in terms of a threat to security or the State and all those things. Obviously, that needs to go before a court as that is where the bar needs to be set in that regard. It seems less harmful when we talk about minor offences or the presumption of minor offence or the general user data and that not being so harmful in terms of an individual, say. My fear is that access to general user data in the context of minor offences or presumed minor offences does not seem harmful in terms of the State, the status quoand the threat to the nation as a whole, but it feels like it could be a really big threat to poorer communities or communities where there are higher crime rates. Even though it is only user data that would potentially be used to prosecute minor offences, if that were accumulated in the collective sense of social class, it would feel like a threat. I know that is not the same kind of threat as those relating to the case that brought us here today and those high-profile matters, but, in terms of the potential for surveillance and access to that user data for minor offences, when all those instances are accumulated in the context of particular communities, that could be a threat to those communities specifically.