Irish govt to increase data protection budget
With EU-wide data protection regulation looming, the Irish government is expected to increase its €1.7m annual expenditure
Ireland's controversial tax laws have encouraged Facebook, Apple, Google, Twitter, LinkedIn and Paypal to headquarter their European operations there. It's now anticipated the Office of Data Protection will come under increasing pressure, with many EU member states believing their data protection standards are too lenient.
The Irish Times reports that budget could increase to nearly €3m, including new Dublin offices. The Minister for Data Protection Dara Murphy said Ireland was committed to data protection and striking "the right balance between the right to privacy and the right to freedom of expression, which is being discussed at an EU level."
The Irish goverment presumably considers the budget increase a small price to pay for the continued tenancy of these global firms. Certainly from a Web design perspective, it's no bad thing having the employment and cloud web services on our doorsteps.