S.I. No. 192/2002 - European Communities (Data Protection and Privacy in Telecommunications) Regulations 2002

Type Statutory Instrument
Publication 2002-05-08
Last updated 2003-11-06
State Repealed superseded text
Text As published
articles 21

This is the act as published. Later amendments are not folded into the text below: each one is a separate act in this repository and an entry in this law's history.

3 amending acts · 2003-11-06, S.I. No. 535/2003 - European Communities (Electronic Communications Networks and Services…

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Made by

the Minister for Public Enterprise

PART 1 PRELIMINARY AND GENERAL

1. Citation.
2. Interpretation and application of Regulations.
3. Services to which Regulations apply.

PART 2 TRAFFIC DATA AND BILLING DATA

4. Processing of traffic data and billing data.

PART 3 CALLING LINE IDENTIFICATION AND CONNECTED LINE IDENTIFICATION

5. Calling line identification and connected line identification.
6. Information to members of public.
7. Exceptions to elimination of presentation of calling line identification.

PART 4 DIRECTORIES OF SUBSCRIBERS

8. Directories of subscribers.

PART 5 USE OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES FOR PURPOSE OF DIRECT MARKETING

9. Unsolicited calls.
10. National Directory Database.

PART 6 ENFORCEMENT

11. Damages for contravention of Regulations.
12. Enforcement of Regulations by Commissioner.
13. Enforcement of certain Regulations by Director.
14. Co-operation between Commissioner and Director.

PART 7 MISCELLANEOUS

15. Security of telecommunications services.
16. Right to bills that are not itemised.
17. Itemised billing and privacy.
18. Cessation of automatic call forwarding.
19. Amendment of section 14(1) of Act of 1988.
20. Amendment of Regulation 10(2)(b) of Regulations of 1999.
21. Transfer of functions from Director to Commission for Communications Regulation.

I, Mary O'Rourke, Minister for Public Enterprise, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 3 of the European Communities Act 1972 (No. 27 of 1972) and for the purpose of giving effect to Directive 97/66/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 1997 1 concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the telecommunications sector and for the purpose of giving further effect to Directive 98/10/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 1998 2 on the application of open network provision (ONP) to voice telephony and on universal service for telecommunications in a competitive environment, make the following regulations:

PART 1 PRELIMINARY AND GENERAL

Citation.

1.

1.

These Regulations may be cited as the European Communities (Data Protection and Privacy in Telecommunications) Regulations 2002.

Interpretation and application of Regulations.

2.

2.

(1) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires -

“Act of 1988” means Data Protection Act 1988 (No. 25 of 1988);

“automated data” means information that -

“automatic calling machine” means an automatic calling machine which, when activated operates to make calls without human intervention;

“blocking”, in relation to data, means so marking the data that it is not possible to process it for purposes in relation to which it is marked;

“Commissioner” means Data Protection Commissioner;

“data” means automated data and manual data;

“data controller” means a person who, either alone or with others, controls the contents and use of personal data;

“Directive” means Directive 97/66/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 1997 concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the telecommunications sector;

“Director” means Director of Telecommunications Regulation;

“directory” means a directory of subscribers in printed or electronic form -

“the EEA Agreement” means the Agreement on the European Economic Area signed at Oporto on 2 May 1992 as adjusted by the Protocol signed at Brussels on 17 March 1993;

“enactment” means a statute or an instrument made under a power conferred by statute;

“European Economic Area” has the meaning assigned to it by the EEA Agreement;

“manual data” means information that is recorded as part of a relevant filing system or with the intention that it should form part of a relevant filing system;

“National Directory Database” means the record of subscribers kept by the operator under Regulation 10(2)(b) of the Regulations of 1999;

“the operator” means the person designated by the Director under Regulation 3 of the Regulations of 1999 to provide a universal service (within the meaning of those Regulations in respect of the directory services referred to in Regulation 10(2) of those Regulations;

“personal data” means data relating to a living individual who is or can be identified either from the data or from the data in conjunction with other information that is in, or is likely to come into, the possession of the data controller;

“processing”, of or in relation to information or data, means performing any operation or set of operations on the information or data, whether or not by automatic means, including -

and cognate words shall be construed accordingly;

“public telecommunications network” means a transmission system and, where applicable any switching equipment and other resources which permit the conveyance of signals between defined termination points by wire, by radio, by optical or by other electromagnetic means, which are used, in whole or in part, for the provision of publicly available telecommunications services;

“publishes”, in relation to a directory, includes makes available, and cognate words shall be construed accordingly;

“Regulations of 1999” means European Communities (Voice Telephony and Universal Service) Regulations 1999 ( S.I. No. 71 of 1999 );

“relevant filing system” means any set of information relating to individuals to the extent that, although the information is not processed by means of equipment operating automatically in response to instructions given for that purpose, the set is structured, either by reference to individuals or by reference to criteria relating to individuals, in such a way that specific information relating to a particular individual is readily accessible;

“relevant telecommunications services provider” means -

“subscriber” means a person who has contracted with a telecommunications services provider for the supply by the provider to the person of telecommunications services;

“telecommunications network provider” means a person who provides a public telecommunications network;

“telecommunications services” means services, other than radio and television broadcasting whose provision consists, in whole or in part, of the transmission and routing of signals on telecommunications networks;

“telecommunications services provider” means a person who provides publicly available telecommunications services;

“termination points” means all physical connections and their technical access specifications which form part of any public telecommunications network and are necessary for access to and efficient communication through, that network and which are individually identified by numbers allocated from the scheme administered by the Director which sets out the sequence of numbers or other characters which are used to route telephony traffic to specific locations;

“unlisted”, in relation to a subscriber, means that the subscriber has indicated to the operator that he, she or it does not wish to have particulars relating to him, her or it included in subscriber directories within the meaning of Regulation 10 of the Regulations of 1999 made available by the operator under paragraph (2)(a) of that Regulation in respect of a particular line;

“unsolicited call” means a call by means of an automatic calling machine, a facsimile machine or telephone that is not requested by the called party;

“user” means an individual who, for private or business purposes, uses a publicly available telecommunications service, whether or not the individual is a subscriber in respect of the service.

and the reference to establishment in any other state that is a contracting party to the EEA Agreement shall be construed accordingly.

Services to which Regulations apply.

3.

3.

(1) Paragraph 1 of Article 3 shall apply to these Regulations, and the reference in that paragraph to the Directive shall be construed as a reference to these Regulations.

PART 2 TRAFFIC DATA AND BILLING DATA

Processing of traffic data and billing data.

4.

4.

(1) A telecommunications network provider or a telecommunications services provider shall, subject to paragraph (2), comply with paragraphs 1, 2 and 4 of Article 6, and a telecommunications services provider shall, subject to paragraph (3), comply with paragraph 3 of that Article, in respect of the processing of any traffic data and billing data relating to the subscribers and users of the telecommunications services concerned.

“billing data” means the data specified in the Annex that is held by a telecommunications network provider or a telecommunications services provider for the purpose of -

“interconnection” has the meaning assigned to it by the European Communities (Interconnection in Telecommunications) Regulations 1998 ( S.I. No. 15 of 1998 );

“traffic data” means any data relating to the conveyance of calls on a telecommunications network and the billing of such calls and includes data relating to the routing, duration or time of such calls, the location of the terminal equipment of persons making or receiving such calls, the telecommunications network on which such calls originate or terminate and the time of the beginning or end, or the duration, of the connection to that telecommunications network.

PART 3 CALLING LINE IDENTIFICATION AND CONNECTED LINE IDENTIFICATION

Calling line identification and connected line identification.

5.

5.

(1) A relevant telecommunications services provider shall comply with paragraphs 1 to 4 of Article 8 in respect of the provision of calling line identification and connected line identification facilities to subscribers and users of the telecommunications services provided by the provider, and the provisions of paragraph 5 of that Article shall apply accordingly.

Information to members of public.

6.

6.

(1) A telecommunications services provider who provides calling line identification and connected line identification facilities shall inform members of the public that he, she or it provides such facilities and of the provisions of paragraphs 1 to 4 of Article 8 in relation to such facilities by publishing a notice stating how that information may be obtained.

Exceptions to elimination of presentation of calling line identification.

7.

7.

A telecommunications network provider or a telecommunications services provider shall, within a period of not more than 3 months after the making of these Regulations, cause to be prepared, and shall make available to any person who so requests, a general description of the circumstances in which the provider may override the elimination by a subscriber or a user of the presentation of calling line identification in respect of a line -

PART 4 DIRECTORIES OF SUBSCRIBERS

Directories of subscribers.

8.

8.

(1) A person who publishes a directory shall ensure that personal data in the directory relating to a subscriber who is an individual is limited to what is necessary to identify the subscriber and the number allocated to him or her in respect of a particular line unless the subscriber has given his or her explicit consent to the person authorising the publication in the directory of additional personal data relating to the subscriber.

or both, any personal data relating to the subscriber contained in a database upon which a directory is based for the purpose of direct marketing.

PART 5 USE OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES FOR PURPOSE OF DIRECT MARKETING

Unsolicited calls.

9.

9.

(1) A person shall not use, or cause to be used, any publicly available telecommunications services to make an unsolicited call for the purpose of direct marketing by means of an automatic calling machine or a facsimile machine to the line of a subscriber who is an individual, unless the person has been notified by the subscriber that for the time being he or she consents to the receipt of such a call on his or her line.

National Directory Database.

10.

10.

(1) The operator shall, for the purposes of paragraphs (2)(b) and (3)(b) of Regulation 9, record or cause to be recorded in the National Directory Database the particulars specified in paragraph (2) in respect of a line of a subscriber who -

or both, but the operator shall refuse such inspection or copying of, or of extracts from, entries in the National Directory Database if the operator has reasonable grounds to believe that the person will not comply with the Act of 1988 and these Regulations in respect of the information in that Database.

or both.

PART 6 ENFORCEMENT

Damages for contravention of Regulations.

11.

11.

(1) A person who suffers loss or damage as a result of a contravention of any of the requirements of these Regulations by any other person shall be entitled to damages from that other person for that loss or damage.

Enforcement of Regulations by Commissioner.

12.

12.

(1) Sections 10, 12, 24, 25, 26 (insofar as it relates to a requirement specified in an enforcement notice or an information notice or a decision of the Commissioner in relation to a complaint under section 10(1)(a) of the Act of 1988) and 27 to 31 of that Act shall, with the following modifications, and any other necessary modifications, to that Act, apply to these Regulations, and references in those sections to that Act or the provisions of that Act shall, unless the context otherwise requires, be construed as including references to these Regulations or the provisions of these Regulations -

“ ‘Regulations of 2002’ means European Communities (Data Protection and Privacy in Telecommunications) Regulations 2002;”

  • “(ii) if he or she is unable to arrange, within a reasonable time, for the amicable resolution by the parties concerned of the matter the subject of the complaint notify in writing the person who made the complaint of his or her decision in relation to it and that the person may, if aggrieved by the decision, appeal against it to the Court under section 26 of this Act within 21 days from the receipt by the person of the notification.”,
  • “(1A) The Commissioner may carry out or cause to be carried out such investigations as he or she considers appropriate in order to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Regulations of 2002 and to identify any contravention thereof.”,
  • “(a) to block, rectify, erase or destroy any of the data concerned, or”, and
  • “(b) if such compliance materially modifies the data concerned, any person to whom the data were disclosed during the period beginning 12 months before the date of the service of the enforcement notice concerned and ending immediately before such compliance unless such notification proves impossible or involves a disproportionate effort,

of the blocking, rectification, erasure, destruction or statement concerned.”,

  • “(1) A person guilty of an offence under the Regulations of 2002 shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding €1,250, and

    • (ii) by the deletion of subsection (4).
  • (2) In this Regulation -

“enforcement notice” means a notice under section 10 of the Act of 1988;

“information notice” means a notice under section 12 of that Act.

Enforcement of certain Regulations by Director.

13.

13.

(1) Subject to the performance by the Commissioner of the functions under Regulation 12, it shall be a function of the Director to monitor compliance with Regulations 3(2), 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 15 and 18.

Co-operation between Commissioner and Director.

14.

14.

The Commissioner and the Director shall, in the performance of their functions under these Regulations, co-operate with and provide assistance to each other.

PART 7 MISCELLANEOUS

Security of telecommunications services.

15.

15.

(1) A telecommunications services provider shall comply with Article 4 in relation to telecommunications services supplied by the provider.

Right to bills that are not itemised.

16.

16.

A subscriber may request the relevant telecommunications services provider to give him or her bills that are not itemised in respect of telecommunications services supplied by the provider to the subscriber and the provider shall comply with such a request.

Itemised billing and privacy.

17.

17.

The Director shall, in the performance of his or her functions, have regard to the need to reconcile the right of subscribers to receive itemised bills with the right to privacy of calling users and called subscribers.

Cessation of automatic call forwarding.

18.

18.

(1) A relevant telecommunications services provider shall ensure that calls automatically forwarded to a subscriber's terminal as a result of action taken by a third party shall without charge, upon a request being made to the provider by the subscriber to do so cease to be so forwarded as soon as practicable after the receipt of such a request.

Amendment of section 14(1) of Act of 1988.

19.

19.

Section 14(1) of the Act of 1988 is amended by the substitution of “activities under the European Communities (Data Protection and Privacy in Telecommunications Regulations 2002 and this Act” for “activities under this Act”.

Amendment of Regulation 10(2)(b) of Regulations of 1999.

20.

20.

Regulation 10(2)(b) of the Regulations of 1999 is amended by the substitution of “on such terms and conditions as may be approved by the Director from time to time” for “requesting such information”.

Transfer of functions from Director to Commission for Communications Regulation.

21.

21.

On and after the establishment day within the meaning of section 2 (1) of the Communications Regulation Act 2002 (No.20 of 2002), the functions of the Director under these Regulations are transferred to the Commission for Communications Regulation, and references in these Regulations to the Director shall, from that day, be construed as references to the Commission for Communications Regulation.

GIVEN under my Official Seal, 8^th May 2002.
Mary O'Rourke Minister for Public Enterprise

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation)

The purpose of these regulations is to give legal effect to Directive 1997/66/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 1997 concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the telecommunications sector.

Footnotes

1

OJ No. L24, 30.1.98, p. 1

2

OJ No. L101, 1.4.98, p. 24

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