Sinn Féin defends voter database despite data protection concerns

Eoin Ó Broin confirms party had responded to the office of the Data Protection Commissioner after questions were asked about transparency and data use

Eoin Ó Broin: Sinn Féin is 'fully compliant' with GDPR. File Picture: Gareth Chaney

Sinn Féin has formally replied to the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) after queries were sent about its voter database.

Deputy commissioner Graham Doyle confirmed the DPC had put a series of questions to Sinn Féin and was awaiting a response over its Abú database.

The DPC wrote to the party last Wednesday over how it was targeting people on Facebook with concerns about transparency and the collation of more data than the party would need.

It will also examine whether the party's actions comply with data protection legislation and GDPR requirements.

Sinn Féin's housing spokesman, Eoin Ó Broin, said the party had responded in writing "giving full responses to all the questions". He said the party is "very keen to continue engagement" with the commissioner's office.

It was reported that the party had asked officials working for it to use personal information posted on people's Facebook pages to identify where they live.

Mr Ó Broin refuted this accusation, calling some of the reports "bizarre" and repeatedly refused to say where the data is stored, stating only that it is within the EU.

"Our view is we're fully compliant with the Data Protection Act of 2018," he said.

"The data is stored within the European Union. We'll all listen very carefully to what she (Data Commissioner Helen Dixon) has to say."

Mr Ó Broin said the Abú database is the electoral register that all major parties have access to.

He added that if he is engaging with someone online, he will ask for their address in order to canvass them during elections with their permission. This address or information about the individual living at the address is not entered into the database.

When asked how he remembers where each individual lives, he said he could remember easily.

"We use the register to target our voters, and to ensure we get our vote out on election day," Mr Ó Broin said.

We don't pay anything for the system, we don't charge anybody for the system. It's an electoral register system a digital database that we use, just like we used to use pen and paper before we had access to digital technology.

"When people are engaging politically online, if it's possible with their consent then to engage with them, door to door, face to face, and much better during the course of an election, that's what we do."