There is going to be a 'constant wrestle' between the Data Protection Commission and big tech companies.

That is according to Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon who says the Irish are more protected than Americans from unethical data harvesting due to the strict laws.

She told The Anton Savage Show that the United States lacks the kind of comprehensive GDPR law that Ireland has.

"When these platforms moved into Europe and began to build up users ... there was no filter on the platform as exported from the US, and so we saw issues that later transpired like Cambridge Analytica, where data of users on the platform was being 'harvested'", she explained.

Trust

The Council of Europe established the first legally binding international data protection laws in January 1981 and constant updates are required to keep up with technological development.

"There has always been a type of reverse engineering to make these platforms fit with EU principals, norms and laws", Ms Dixon said.

"Leave aside any enforcement or data protection laws, if they lose the trust of users, if they get into a space where users are surprised in a negative way by what has happened their data, the business model will no longer be sustainable."

Appeals

The Irish Data Protection Commission has levied over €1 billion in fines against data collectors through enforcement actions in 2022.

"That is making them sit up and come to a deeper understanding of what is required under the GDPR", she said.

When companies appeal, which Meta has previously done, according to Ms Dixon it is a 'fair fight'.

"The Irish high court will treat both parties equally and the law will be applied", she said.

"We are able to stand up because we're applying the law. It doesn't mean we're right in every case and it doesn't mean they're not going to challenge us."

Passwords

Today is World Data Protection Day and people across Ireland are being encouraged to do a password Spring clean.

The event aims to raise awareness and initiate conversations around data privacy, protection and best practices.

It can be difficult to figure out if someone else is accessing your accounts, but by changing passwords regularly you reduce the risk that others can see your data.

The EU Science Hub has shared tips, including using passphrases, which are easy to remember, but hard to guess, enabling two factor authentication and using password management software, which will help generate and store your passwords.

Listen back to the full conversation here.