Big Tech Lawyer Involved in Selection of Former Facebook Lobbyist as Top EU Privacy Regulator

Sweeney is set to begin her tenure next week as one of three commissioners at Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC), the powerful agency responsible for enforcing Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Her appointment has renewed concerns about the close relationship between Ireland’s data watchdog and the technology giants it oversees, per Politico.

Documents reviewed by Politico reveal that a lawyer representing Big Tech companies participated in the small selection panel that recommended Sweeney for the role. That lawyer’s involvement prompted a formal conflict-of-interest complaint from another candidate who had competed for the position earlier this year.

The DPC is responsible for regulating some of the world’s largest technology companies — including Meta, X, Google, and TikTok — which base their European operations in Ireland. Critics have long accused the Irish authority of taking a lenient approach toward these firms, a stance some attribute to Ireland’s economic reliance on the tech sector. As Politico noted, the DPC imposed few major fines in the years following the GDPR’s introduction in 2018, leading to frustration among privacy advocates and EU lawmakers.

According to Politico, commissioners at the DPC are appointed by the Irish government on the advice of the Public Appointments Service, known as publicjobs, which manages recruitment for public roles. A confidential letter dated May 14 and reviewed by the outlet outlined the five-member panel tasked with choosing the new commissioner. The panel included consultant Shirley Kavanagh as chair, Department of Justice Deputy Secretary Doncha O’Sullivan, ComReg chief Garrett Blaney, publicjobs specialist Louise McEntee, and Leo Moore, a partner at the law firm William Fry.

Moore leads William Fry’s technology division, which has represented several multinational and social media companies, according to the firm’s website. Politico reported that the law firm previously advised Microsoft in a major U.S. court case concerning access to data stored on Irish servers. Irish media have also documented the firm’s work with the Irish government in a high-profile dispute over nearly €14 billion in back taxes sought from Apple.

Source: Politico