Outrage as Ireland picks ex-Meta lobbyist as new data protection chief

Civil society groups have decried the appointment of a senior ex-Meta lobbyist as one of Ireland's new data protection commissioners.

Niamh Sweeney was announced in September as the pick for third commissioner for Ireland's already highly-controversial Data Protection Commission (DPC), rounding out its three-person leadership team.

However her work at Meta from 2015 to 2021 raises concerns from civil society.

In an open letter to the Irish government on Thursday (23 October), signed by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, noyb, ARTICLE 19, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, plus 40 others, highlights the conflict of interest Sweeney brings to a position that is supposed to police the same firms in which she used to work.

This appointment “raises serious questions about the DPC’s independence at a time when its impartiality is of critical importance for the entire Union, and when public trust is already fragile,” the letter states.

The letter also points out that Sweeney may have had to sign non-disclosure agreements during her time at Meta, raising questions about her ability to properly participate in investigations. 

The complaint cites this as conflicting with various regulatory independence and impartiality rules under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the EU Charter. 

One of the letter’s signatories, who was granted anonymity to speak freely, told EUobserver, "I think it's very difficult to expect her to be able to do the job she needs to do."

This decision comes as civil society has already had problems with the Irish DPC, calling the agency a GDPR bottleneck in the letter.

“Patterns of delayed or limited enforcement continue to undermine trust in the DPC as an eIective enforcer of the law,” wrote the NGOs. 

Ireland is home to many US Big Tech giants who have found the Irish DPC an amenable agency, as well as a low-tax EU member state. Other European data protection agencies have urged Ireland to take stronger corrective measures in their cases.  

The letter complains that “civil society organisations have filed highly important and strategic complaints in Ireland, many without any material result.”

It concludes by calling for a new commissioner, with a data protection background, who is picked through a more transparent process. Along with an independent review process into the original appointment of Sweeney herself.

The signing organisations aim for this letter "to put some pressure on the government and ultimately it'll put pressure on her," said the civil society representative.

Every month, hundreds of thousands of people read the journalism and opinion published by EUobserver. With your support, millions of others will as well.

If you're not already, become a supporting member today.