pervert glasses. so apt
On discourse about trans people’s right to access to accurate ID, I’d like to remind that the EU’s top court, using data protection’s most fundamental principles, has declared that someone’s “lived gender identity” is what must be recorded to describe them.
www.thegist.ie/the-gist-tra...
I was on Newstalk Daily to discuss social media on trial and the leaked concepts of a plan for age restrictions here in Ireland. Great to also have @iccl.bsky.social's Olga Cronin giving helpful background on the shaky foundations this is likely being built on. www.newstalk.com/podcasts/new...
If Ireland is then bringing in "biometric categorisation" as per the AI Act (but calling it something else) it begs the question: will Ireland fulfil all the legal obligations of the AI Act in respect of "biometric categorisation"?
All will be in the code of practice...
#AIAct
Minister said "biometric categorisation" [a term that is in the AI Act - some practices of which are either prohibited or considered high-risk] is a "subgroup of biometric analysis"
"This doesn't contradict it or it isn't inconsistent with it but it covers more than biometric categorisation" #AIAct
Gary Gannon TD asked the Minister about the AI Act - and why the Govt is using a term ("biometric analysis") that is not in the AI Act
[We should remember though that the Government intends to provide for a database in future legislation in order to provide for both live and retrospective biometric identification]
He said there will be no database of faces and he gave this scenario as an example
Gardai has CCTV of Person A at location 1; and CCTV of another person at location 2. Gardai compare the two to see if it's the same person.
Not just faces, but also gait or person's size can be compared
#AIAct
We learned a little bit more...here Gary Gannon TD asked the minister to explain what "biometric analysis" is.
The minister said this is not "biometric identification".
However, "biometric analysis", he said, will be used to *identify* various people in different circumstances.
US Border Patrol admits using Real-Time Bidding (RTB) data to track people's movements.
The failure to enforce against the RTB data breach at the heart of online advertising is very, very dangerous.
Big scoop by @josephcox.bsky.social @404media.co!
www.404media.co/cbp-tapped-i...
This afternoon the AI Committee was told An Garda Síochána "is transitioning from a traditional style of police service to a data-led, digitally-enabled organisation."
Part of that transition is presumably a bill before the Oireachtas today - to give gardai the power to use "biometric analysis" 👇
The Minister for Justice will be before the Justice Committee at 3pm today to speak to the bill. Perhaps we'll find out more then.
The second time round, Senator Ruane underscored the importance of both the public - and legislators - understanding what this is, crucially before the bill is passed.
Today Senator Lynn Ruane (twice) tried to find out when an AGS Assistant Commissioner was before the AI Committee but she was told it's difficult to say until the bill is finalised.
Many in civil society are concerned that this overlap and lack of clarity creates significant legal and technical uncertainty and risks non-compliance with EU law. This is what "biometric analysis" is defined as...
It's also problematic that the definition of "biometric analysis" overlaps with the definitions of “biometric categorisation” and “biometric identification” under the AI Act. This is important because the specifics of any AI system used by gardai determines the regulatory obligations placed on them.
This is the Garda Siochana (Recording Devices) Amendment Bill 2025
We're told this is not the much talked about FRT bill as that is, as yet, unwritten. But it's unclear what this novel term "biometric analysis" actually means.
It is not defined in the AI Act.
data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachta...
This afternoon the AI Committee was told An Garda Síochána "is transitioning from a traditional style of police service to a data-led, digitally-enabled organisation."
Part of that transition is presumably a bill before the Oireachtas today - to give gardai the power to use "biometric analysis"
I'm literally in tears listening to President Catherine Connolly's fierce speech about the silence about ongoing genocide, how the rule of law, humans rights, civil liberties, and freedoms are diminishing before our eyes... at the 50th anniversary of the @iccl.bsky.social
“I just assumed the officer saw a brown person with curly hair and decided to arrest me.”
26-year-old was misidentified by facial recognition technology and arrested for a burglary in a city he had never visited.
Read the full story here ⬇️
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
And @tupped.bsky.social
"Had there been more video content, we may have decided to use the Online Safety Code..."
More from CnM on this today @tupped.bsky.social
"The Online Safety Code relates to video-related content, for the main part, and, for the main part, this [Grok] involved images so we thought the best option was to use the DSA..where we would do that hand in glove with the EU Commission..."
Irish Data Protection Commission was asked today in Committee: have you ever taken a GDPR decision on Google?
Answer... No.
Ireland is responsible for supervising Google's data use across the whole EU. It has produced no decisions.
Kudos @sineadgibney.bsky.social for asking the question.
Several European countries are considering social media bans for children. We must regulate platforms, not children.
I urge caution:
✅ Focus on "safety by design"
✅ Demand algorithmic transparency
✅ Enforce the #DSA & #HumanRights standards
Read my Shout Out👇
www.coe.int/en/web/commi...
Are you travelling from Dublin to Holyhead this week?
Email: lbutterly@thedetail.tv / Signal: lukejbutterly.48
#journorequest
One for the cybersecurity nerds: the pre-legislative report for the Irish National Cyber Security Bill 2024 is out, and recommends major changes to the draconian powers proposed for the National Cyber Security Centre. Featuring lots of input from @digitalrightsirl.bsky.social + @iccl.bsky.social.
Also front page lead story in the Irish Times today
The Home Office is using facial recognition technology to locate people within their “Population of Interest.”
Thousands of passengers travelling from Dublin to Holyhead will be scanned by controversial technology this week as part of a trial, raising surveillance and discrimination concerns
While the whole social media ban thing is a mess, I’m extremely amused that the Irish deputy prime minster was apparently shouting at the radio while I was on it. extra.ie/2026/02/19/n...
