back to article Data cops in charge of Facebook, LinkedIn, Google get a new office

Ireland’s data chief will get a new place of work more in keeping with her status, as privacy battles with global tech giants loom large. Headquarters of the mighty Irish data cops, in charge of regulating some of the biggest names in the tech industry Currently, the Data Protection Commissioner of Ireland is housed in a …

  1. Ole Juul

    The office spends around €1.7m a year

    Who pays for that?

    1. Disgruntled of TW
      Megaphone

      Re: The office spends around €1.7m a year

      ... and who measures the value?

  2. Mage Silver badge

    Dunno

    But I'd rather be based in Portarlington than Dublin AKA "Western Britain"

    But €1.7M is nothing compared to some Irish Agencies and organisations and their total lack of Transparency and Incompetence.

    Comreg

    DCENR (pack of pointless time wasters)

    In his address to the Dáil, Ireland’s Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Alex White laid out the department’s finances for 2015, including a budget of €172m .

    Financial Regulator

    RTE

    Probably Oireachtas (Parliament) Refusing to pay to be on the Irish equivalent of Freeview &Freesat. Only on pay channels recently and Internet for over 7 years.

    Even Greek parliament you can get FTA. Or the UK one in Netherlands, France, Spain, Portugal and Ireland.

  3. Gannon (J.) Dick

    "Data cops in charge of Facebook, LinkedIn, Google get a new office

    But HQ remains next to corner store in the middle of Irish nowhere"

    If Facebook ... etc. had their druthers the office would be a few hundred miles west of Irish nowhere. The only reason it isn't is because data cops are not allowed near Bermudian Banks Silicon Valley Mission Critical Facilities.

    1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

      ..but when the Data Protection Commissioner of Ireland needs to talk to the local head honchos of Google et al, it must be fun to say, "no, I insist, please visit me at my office...if you can find it. I'll put the kettle on."

  4. Fungus Bob
    WTF?

    That doesn't even look like a real building in the picture, looks more like a Hollywood prop.

    1. John McCallum
      Devil

      @Fungus Bob

      It s probably from Street View oh the irony

  5. symb

    great

    I think it is great they have government departments based outside of dublin, i wish they did more of that in the UK.

  6. Velv

    Sums up perfectly Ireland's attitude to legality as described by Dara O'Briain.

    There are three states of legality in Irish law. There's "that's grand", "ah, now, don't push it" and "right, you're taking the piss", none of which actually result in any action by the authorities.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I bet the 'Convenience Store' has a special combination of buttons on the cash register which will flip the shop counter upside down, revealing a shiny rail-based transporter which will carry up to three people to a secret underground lair where Stan Smith and Patrick Stewart work to protect the world from evil.

  8. steogede

    At least we know that it is secure and they didn't put it in the cloud... http://goo.gl/maps/5S4oK

  9. seansaysthis

    Decentralization and asking questions

    There was a policy of decentralization in setting up government departments in Ireland when the office was set up. I always get the feeling that we have a data protection commissioner because we need to be compliant with EU law not because its a good idea to have someone watching the space.

    The location is probably also coupled with the data protection officer asking some important and awkward questions of various governments down through the years. Typically our watchdogs are toothless tigers but the data protection commissioner has bitten some big important arses in the last few years. Its no coincidence that the funding for the department has remained static even though the workload has increased dramatically.

  10. MachDiamond Silver badge

    Spend more or else

    An alternative location could be in a multi-million Euro office block right in the middle of an area with stupendously high cost of living figures.

    Data/internet business and government regulation offices can be anywhere with internet access. Why NOT put them in areas where the cost of living and office space aren't at a premium?

    1. Roland6 Silver badge

      Re: Spend more or else

      Actually my first thoughts on seeing the picture, was why haven't we located OFCOM's HQ somewhere similar, it might help them to be more proactive...

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I wonder if they have the internet in Portarlington

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    On Googe Streetview...

    the building is about 100ft deep, 2 storeys high, and one room wide. About enough for 10 medium offices. More than enough for the Irish Govt and DPC whitewashing of EU data handover to the US, NSA, GCHQ via FB etc.

    The Irish Data Commissioner is funded directly by the US corporations that they are supposed to be monitoring. All EU data is handed over without so much as a by your leave.

    In the same way as our government cynically allowed US rendition flights and US troops to transit at Shannon even though we have neutrality written into our constitution.

    Apt that this office is in Portarlington where you probably cannot get a fast enough internet connection to even open Facebook.

    The biggest joke of all is that around the corner of the junction on the other side of the Centra shop is a business calling itself a Muck-Truck-Disrtibutor. You couldn't make it up.

  13. Ken Moorhouse Silver badge
    Joke

    Something very April Foolsy about that photo

    http://img-new.cgtrader.com/items/66646/large_ethernet_socket_3d_model_obj_blend_mtl_4befcefc-b9ea-42d5-932f-f4e8747ddf83.png

    Does the "upgrade" involve, per chance, the other LED being capable of lighting up?

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