Irish Examiner View: Data retention laws must be updated

Current law amounts to mass surveillance of the entire population of the State without our consent

As far back as 2001 concerns were expressed that Irish mobile phone firms were storing data for up to six years while claiming it was only six months. File picture: iStock

Ever since George Orwell penned his dystopian novel, 1984, his fictional character of Big Brother has served as a stark warning of the dangers of totalitarianism and of the importance of ensuring civil rights in a free society. Any encroachment on those rights in modern times, such as the retention of mobile phone data, has to be weighed against the desire to protect citizens against serious crime.

Various Irish governments have sought to enhance law enforcement powers in this regard but have failed to balance those powers by protecting the rights of citizens, as guaranteed under the European Charter of Fundamental Rights. Indeed, right up to the present day, successive administrations have exhibited a cavalier approach to data retention.