Irish privacy regulator picks ex-Meta lobbyist as third commissioner

Summary

The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), which is Meta’s lead oversight authority in the EU, has appointed Niamh Sweeney, an ex-WhatsApp, Facebook and Stripe lobbyist, as third commissioner to lead its work. The DPC is in charge of enforcing the EU’s privacy rulebook, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), for all firms established in the country – which includes many tech giants, Meta, Google, Apple, and Microsoft among them. This gives it an outsized role in EU oversight of big tech. Sweeney was appointed to the DPC by the Irish government. During her time at Meta she led public policy for WhatsApp in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, and also lobbying for Facebook in Ireland. Most recently, she was director for the public affairs firm Milltown Partners in Ireland. The appointment comes as the Irish government is planning to increase the DPC’s resources. While the regulator operated for many years with just a single commissioner, in September 2023 it began recruitment for two more. Sweeney’s arrival completes the trio of commissioners now heading the watchdog – after Des Hogan and Dale Sunderland were appointed in February 2024, replacing the previous (sole) commissioner, Helen Dixon. Dixon faced a barrage of criticism over the DPC’s approach to enforcing the GDPR on big tech. And while Hogan and Sunderland vowed to take a tougher stance when they were first appointed, many still doubt the watchdog’s willingness to follow through. “Just kissing the US’s ass behind the scenes seems to be not enough any more,” said privacy activist Max Schrems in a statement responding to news of Sweeney’s hire. “Now, Ireland is officially kissing US Big Tech’s ass on the global stage. At least this brings some honesty to the situation we witnessed the last 15 years.”