DATA POWER TO THE PEOPLE

New data protection rules will allow consumers, for the first time, to sue companies for emotional distress over improper use of their online data without consent.

Companies that fall foul of the new Data Protection Bill also face fines of up to €20m. The enactment of the Bill along with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on May 25 will ‘modernise Ireland’s data-protection laws and create a consistent data protection’.