Ireland’s data laws can provide cloud ‘cover’

Re your article on people’s wariness of American cloud-computing service providers, why not ask these companies to host their data centres in Ireland?

This would create employment in construction, sales, marketing, IT and in other professions.

Ireland could become the Silicon Valley of Europe.

The global media has published stories about our no-nonsense approach to data protection legislation.

The Data Protection Office has done a great a job in investigating the multi-national companies in Ireland.

It has not bowed to pressure, nor has it been fazed by criticism.

It has investigated large companies based in Ireland, including Facebook.

This office could be used to market Ireland as a place where data can be stored securely.

Other European countries have a long way to go to catch up to our data protection laws.

However, as more and more of our information will be stored by these cloud-computing service providers, the Government should highlight how our data protection laws would appease customers who are afraid that their data would be shared and could be misused by any company or agency.

Maitias Ó Luasaigh

Donnybrook Hill,

Douglas,

Cork