15/10/2025
The Good Lobby joins civil society in calling for urgent action to stop revolving door in Ireland
The Good Lobby has joined over 40 civil society organisations led by EDRi in urging the European Commission to review Ireland’s recent appointment of a new Data Protection Commissioner – a former senior lobbyist for Meta.
This move raises serious concerns about the independence and credibility of the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), the EU’s lead enforcer of privacy rules for Big Tech.
Under EU law, data protection authorities must act impartially and independently. Yet, Ireland’s record of slow and inconsistent enforcement has already made it a GDPR bottleneck. Installing a regulator with deep ties to the very companies under investigation risks eroding what little public trust remains.
Civil society is calling on the Commission to:
- Assess the DPC’s independence under EU law;
- Clarify how it will act if conflicts of interest arise; and
- Establish safeguards -including transparent appointments and revolving-door rules – to protect regulators from corporate capture.
Europe’s privacy framework is only as strong as its watchdogs. The EU must act now to defend independent regulation and ensure citizens’ rights are not compromised by corporate influence.