Fears over access to journalists’ data

The lack of checks on accessing the private communications data of journalists is a “cause of great concern”, the State’s human rights watchdog has said.

In its submission to a judicial review on laws regarding the accessing of traffic data of journalists by state agencies, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) said that ideally law enforcement bodies should first seek a court order.

Currently, State agencies, including the gardaí, do not need any external authorisation in order to request communications data from telecommunications and internet providers.