Data Protection Lawyers in Ireland

The privacy of both natural persons and legal entities in Ireland is a matter which is regulated under the provisions of the Data Protection Law. Such regulations are taking into consideration the modern means of communication and the applicable Acts available in this sense have been amended several times, in order to comply with the current requirements. Our team of Irish data protection lawyers can offer an in-depth presentation on the legal rights and obligations deriving from this legislation.

Legislation on the protection of data in Ireland

Since 25 May 2018 the main rules on data protection are the GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018; the previous main rule of law was the Data Protection Act 1988, which was amended in 2003, under the legislation of the Data Protection (Amendment) Act 2003. The latest version of the Act included the provisions applicable by the European Union, under the EU Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC (repealed by the GDPR in 2018), on which our law firm in Ireland can offer legal advice.

Further on, the Irish legislation on this matter provides numerous other secondary Acts referring to various areas defining the protection of data.

In a modern world, in which most of the legal entities and natural persons are using various means of communication, there was also a need to provide a legal framework regulating the protection of the users. In this sense, Ireland applies the ePrivacy Regulations 2011, created to establish provisions for the usage of mobile phones, e-mail, messages and internet, which transposed the EU ePrivacy Directive 2002/58/EC.

Applicability of the Data Protection Act in Ireland

The Data Protection Act in Ireland is applicable to various types of entities which are allowed to collect data from their users. Such entities can include data controllers and data processers. However, under the provisions of the Act, employers are not seen as data processers.

The Act provides the manner in which personal data (or other types of information) may be stored, obtained or disclosed by such entities.

It is important to know that the GDPR also applies to controllers outside the EU that offer goods or services to, or monitor, people in the EU, as well as to data controllers established in Ireland, to persons who are residing in this country, as well as to international companies who have opened a branch office here.

Please contact our team of data protection attorneys in Ireland for more details on the Data Protection Act.