Communications (Retention of Data) Act 2011 (Rep. of Ireland)

Overview

The Communications (Retention of Data) Act 2011 is an Irish legislation that addresses the retention of communications data by service providers for the purpose of combating serious crimes. The Act aims to strike a balance between the need for law enforcement agencies to access communications data for investigating serious crimes and protecting individuals’ privacy and data security. It establishes legal obligations for service providers regarding data retention and access, and provides safeguards to prevent misuse or unauthorized access to the retained data.

Benefits of compliance:

• Ensures lawful cooperation with Gardaí and other competent authorities.
• Reduces risk of unlawful data retention or disclosure.
• Supports ISO 27001 (information security), ISO 27701 (privacy) and ISO 37301 (compliance).
• Strengthens audit readiness and regulatory defensibility.
• Demonstrates proportionate and accountable data governance.