Ireland's lead role in GDPR enforcement criticized as obstacle to Big Tech regulation (euobserver.com)

• Ireland is the lead GDPR regulator for most major Big Tech firms in the EU.
• Johnny Ryan argues Ireland has failed to enforce data rights and should recuse itself from digital EU presidency files.
• The piece calls for external pressure from other EU members to improve enforcement.

"An opinion piece on EUobserver argues that Ireland, as the lead data protection authority for many Big Tech firms (Meta, Google, TikTok, Microsoft, LinkedIn, X, Apple), has failed to enforce GDPR effectively. Activist Johnny Ryan of the Irish Council of Civil Liberties calls for Ireland to recuse itself from digital legislative files during its upcoming EU presidency, including the Digital Omnibus, AI Omnibus, and others. Ryan compares Ireland's failure to 'letting actors that are not your friends plant flags on your soldiers and your judges and your politicians.' The article highlights the structural issue of a single member state being responsible for defending European digital rights."