Tech

Data Protection Commissioner says rules for fining multinationals have created a ‘legal maze’

Ireland’s data protection officials deal with thousands of complaints

Helen Dixon, the Data Protection Commissioner, said complex regulations can often lead to a ‘lengthy’ appeals process. Picture: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg

The process of companies appealing large fines for privacy breaches is a “legal maze”, the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) has said.

In its latest annual report, the regulator said it processed 2,710 complaints from individuals last year and concluded 3,133 complaints, including 1,920 of which were received prior to 2022.

The DPC said it received 125 valid cross-border complaints for which it had to act as the lead supervisory authority and concluded 246 cross-border complaints.