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DPC identifies two firms in Prime Time probe

The data-protection watchdog says that it has identified two companies and a dataset that were at the centre of an RTÉ Prime Time programme last week. 

The programme’s investigation showed that data on the specific movement of tens of thousands of smartphones in Ireland was available to buy from companies working in the digital marketing and advertising industries. 

Last week, the Data Protection Commission (DPC) said that it was “extremely concerned” about the programme’s findings and was working to identify the data broker in question. 

Engagement with EU authority 

In a statement today (26 September), the watchdog said that it had used its statutory powers to obtain the identity of the companies, one of which was Irish based. 

The commission said that it had attended an office in Dublin this week. 

“The second company is based in another EU country, and the DPC is engaging with the relevant EU data-protection authority,” the DPC stated. 

It added that its investigation into the issue was continuing.