Proposed legislation aims to empower Ireland’s cybersecurity agency to monitor all internet traffic in the country during a “pressing national security threat.”
Richard Browne, director of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), informed the Irish Examiner that these “intrusive” monitoring powers would resemble the measures implemented by France’s cybersecurity agency during the recent Olympics in Paris.
The NCSC will be able to petition the High Court for monitoring authority when there are justifiable concerns about “real and persistent risks to the security of the State,” the integrity of public sector data, or the continuity of essential services, according to Browne.
“This essentially covers the entire Irish IP address space,” Mr. Browne stated. “These are explicitly emergency powers and will be subject to significant oversight.”
The proposed General Scheme of the National Cyber Security Bill comes at a time of increasing cybersecurity threats and a noticeable surge in foreign interference, especially as more than half of the countries worldwide, including Ireland, are preparing for general elections.
Ireland also serves as a crucial hub in Europe for cloud computing and data centers, increasingly utilized by financial services firms.