Data Protection and Privacy for Media and Individuals Under Irish and EU Law

Recent public discussion has seen an increasing emphasis placed on data protection and privacy. An accord must be struck between the individual's right to privacy and an organisation’s right to examine an individual’s personal information for its given commercial, contractual or social media activities. This paper examines the evolution of data protection and regulation in Irish and EU law, Illustrating that data protection applies in relation to the publication of material in the media, even if it may still be set aside in the case of public interest. It concludes that the Irish and European Courts place considerable significance on the protection of the right to privacy and data protection as demonstrated by the recent jurisprudence and cases referred to the Courts of Justice of the EU. Furthermore, it is suggested that the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 should lessen the Irish media’s uncertainties on how to comply with data protection.