Irish Privacy Regulator Appoints Former Meta Lobbyist as Commissioner
By
robin_reala
Crusty in the right places. Worth the chew.
Summary
The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), Meta's lead privacy regulator in the EU, has appointed Niamh Sweeney, a former Meta lobbyist who previously led public policy for Facebook Ireland and WhatsApp in EMEA, as its third commissioner. The DPC holds significant power as it enforces GDPR for major tech companies established in Ireland, including Meta, Google, Apple, and Microsoft. This appointment raises questions about potential conflicts of interest given Sweeney's previous role representing Meta's interests.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledThe Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), which is Meta's lead oversight authority in the EU, has appointed Niamh Sweeney, an ex-WhatsApp, Facebook and Stripe lobbyist, as third commissioner to lead its work.
The DPC is in charge of enforcing the EU's privacy rulebook, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), for all firms established in the country - which includes many tech giants, Meta, Google, Apple, and Microsoft among them.
This gives it an outsized role in EU oversight of big tech.
Sweeney was appointed to the DPC by the Irish government. During her time at Meta she led public policy for Meta-owned Facebook Ireland and WhatsApp in EMEA.
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