An increasingly data centered world has implications for society, security and privacy.
On the tenth year of Data Protection Day, there were few reasons to celebrate, with many problems persisting around data protection and privacy.
The Data Protection Commissioner, Helen Dixon, was critical of the level of compliance with data protection legislation in the public sector. She says there needs to be more emphasis on data protection rights when legislation is being framed.
It's not always clear that there's been analysis done to ensure that other, less privacy-invasive methods were potentially looked at.
Digital Rights Ireland has also been critical of the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner and is taking a legal case arguing that the office is not truly independent within the meaning of EU law. Dara Murphy Minister for European Affairs and Data Protection, says that while the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner is funded by the government, it acts independently of government.
New research recommends that the development of smart cities must include respect for data privacy and security.
Cities like Dublin and Cork increasingly use sensor and camera data to improve services.
Rob Kitchin, author of a report on smart cities from Maynooth University, says that care must be taken in how data is used to profile people.
What data is being collected and how do we protect people in terms of how that data is used.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 28 January 2016. The reporter is Will Goodbody.
