3 May 2022
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has revealed that An Post and Ordnance Survey Ireland’s GeoDirectory is selling incredibly personal information, such as social class and family status, about us to companies such as Experian and Aviva. ICCL has been able to buy data about people living in Limerick and Dublin and whether they’re “deprived’, “struggling” or “affluent”. Anyone can buy this data about any household in the country.
ICCL’s Tech and Human Rights Officer, Olga Cronin, said
“I was able to buy data about each of my neighbours, how much money they have, and whether they are single or not. This information is specially protected under EU law. But GeoDirectory markets this information to businesses to match names and addresses on their existing customer lists to GeoDirectory’s profiles about their customers.”
2.2 million Irish homes and their residents are profiled in this way, under headings such as “striving urban singles”, “deprived urban families” or “struggling older families”.
Aviva uses GeoDirectory data to set individual insurance prices and examine claims. Profiles of Irish people are also sold to Experian, one of the world’s biggest data brokers, to feed into credit reports.
GeoDirectory’s data are supplied by An Post, OSI, and the census, including income, labour market skills, age, cultural background, and family status.
Ms Cronin continued:
“GeoDirectory markets its data to prospective buyers as a tool to enrich their existing customer lists. EU data protection law defines any data that can single out a person “directly or indirectly” as protected personal data. The law is clear. GeoDirectory, An Post, and OSI are infringing the GDPR. It’s time for the Data Protection Commission to step in.”
ICCL has lodged a complaint to the Data Protection Commission.
ENDS/
Find a detailed press briefing here: https://www.iccl.ie/news/iccl-data-complaint-an-post-osi-company-profiles-irish-peoples-income-and-homes-and-sells-data-to-data-brokers-and-insurance-companies/
Update: find a follow-up complaint regarding use of data gathered by An Post delivery people here: https://www.iccl.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/AnPostGeoD-follow-up-complaint.pdf
Watch a video of how it works here: GeoDirectory – data about people living beside a dole office in Limerick City
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) is Ireland’s oldest independent human rights campaigning organisation. We monitor, educate and campaign to secure human rights for everyone in Ireland.
For comment: Olga Cronin
For media queries: sinead.nolan@iccl.ie