Watchdog needed to monitor State’s surveillance powers

An independent regulatory authority is “urgently required” to monitor the operation of surveillance powers by state agencies, a leading rights body was said.

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties said the need for such oversight has heightened now that many global technology giants have their European headquarters in Ireland and are affected by Irish laws on surveillance and data protection.

Publishing a report, the ICCL said: “Effective independent review and audit at regular intervals by an independent authority is urgently required.