The Irish privacy guarantor, who has been very lenient with GAFA since the GDPR came into force, is expected to leave Brussels in November with the end of the expected Twitter case.

Carrots without a rod for the net giants in Ireland?

Two years after Brussels broke data protection with its publication GDPR Ireland is still struggling to play the role of gender that must be consciously implemented to prevent the overpowering of American big technocrats who have chosen Ireland as the European headquarters for their thriving operations. And yet GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)) Regulators in different countries with effect from May 2018 give more power to protect consumers from different attitudes and actions Facebook, Google, Apple e Twitter.

Ireland Tax Station

Attracted by all sorts of tax benefits and benefits, the net giants chose Ireland as a safe haven in Europe, which is why they have to shape their operations within the framework of EU law up to Berlin. Especially with regard to the use of personal data by European citizens.

That is also true Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), Has opened several cases similar to our Privacy Guarantor, but has not imposed significant sanctions against distinguished guests from abroad.

Tech Combo Godsend

“Financially, hosting the European headquarters of these large digital groups bringing in huge turnover is an option for Ireland.”, The head of the European Commission said anonymously to AFP.

“It simply came to our notice then. With this role of the Chief Regulator, the country owes a debt of gratitude to all citizens of Europe. “ This excellent originator of the subject adds by remembering that other European countries will become impatient if Ireland continues to show more tenderness to the players of the network. But the conflict of interest is at an angle.

Dublin is silent

The Dublin government and many of its companies are turning a deaf ear to silence. It is no secret that the choice of Dublin as a tax seat for many American corporations depends on Europe’s cheapest corporate tax rate of 12.5%.

In 2018, for example, Facebook Recorded in Ireland Turnover of .5 25.5 billion He barely paid for it 63.2 million euro tax, According to the Irish Commercial Register.

Among other things, it is no secret that these multinationals routinely increase the country’s accounts, in fact it has only 5 million inhabitants.

Last year, they accounted for 77 per cent of the tax revenue generated by the country’s businesses and 40 per cent of the top ten.

NGO Director General Tax Justice Network Alex Cobham He’s not going to be trivial, he tells AFP “Ireland is a tax haven”.

Budget of the Irish Supervisor

While there is no proven evidence that the Dublin government is interfering in the control of these digital giants, it is also true that the Irish DPC guarantees funding for its operations in part due to their taxes.

Part of it is the GDPR that regulatory authorities should have “Human, technical and economic resources are required to respect its responsibilities and exercise its powers.”

But the person in charge DPC Helen Dixon She said she was disappointed with the. 16.9 million budget set aside by the government in 2020. The budget for 2021 will be a little higher, equivalent to 19.1 million, but far from the huge sum that groups are calling for. To check and perhaps give permission.

The European supervisor demands more

The European supervisor wants more attention, which means more resources for the regulator, but a spokesman for the Irish government argues that the DPC is already receiving adequate financial support for the importance of its task.

Twitter case incoming verdict

The Irish regulator must be able to show the extent of his powers The first important decision expected in November Twitter, Which has been under investigation since January 2019.

The case considers the notification of a data breach Twitter Within the time frame of the platform incident was reported to the authorities. The maximum limit is 72 hours. Under GDPR rules, Twitter charges a fine equivalent to 4% of annual worldwide turnover, or $ 140 million, ending the year in 2019 with $ 3.5 billion in revenue.