Johnny Ryan loses High Court challenge over Google data breach inquiry

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Dr Johnny Ryan’s challenge over the Data Protection Commission’s handling of his complaint about an alleged Google data breach was dismissed by the High Court in a written judgment delivered on 28 August 2023.

The complaint concerned Google’s Real Time Bidding system and the use of personal data for targeted online advertising. The judge held that the Commission could complete its own inquiry into the alleged breach before resuming its investigation of Ryan’s complaint.

The Commission said its inquiry, opened in 2019, was ongoing. Ryan had sought an order requiring the Commission to investigate the data security part of his complaint without delay.

The judge’s provisional view was that Ryan should pay the Commission’s legal costs because it had been entirely successful in the proceedings.