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Johnny Ryan

@johnnyryan.bsky.social
5.4K followers 2.4K following 555 posts

Director of ICCL Enforce iccl.ie/Enforce Previously Chief Policy Officer of Brave. FRHistS. ie.linkedin.com/in/johnnyryan1

PostsRepliesMedia
Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 10h
Meta hosted senior Irish Government officials & regulators at an event titled "Ireland as a Trusted Digital Regulatory Hub". Ireland's former regulator who sued all other EU data regulators to avoid investigating Meta was a speaker. (She now works for Meta's law firm.) lnkd.in/p/dYg9TPnk
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Google event in Brussels this evening “to celebrate Ireland’s Presidency” of the EU Council. “Google is delighted to bring together Irish policymakers…” rsvp.withgoogle.com/events/irish... (they have wisely now removed some of this text)
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Important breakthrough in Europe's icebreaker Big Tech class action opens the path for class actions to hold Big Tech accountable using the GDPR. ICCL v Microsoft class action update... Full decision in link --> enforce.ie/digital-data...
enforce.ie
ICCL secures landmark precedent against Big Tech - Enforce
Class action will target “Real-Time Bidding” (RTB) data breach in Microsoft’s advertising system, and is anticipated to affect Microsoft’s operations across the EU
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Ten years after the GDPR was negotiated, Ireland's DPC has today finally completed its *first* ever inquiry into Google (aside from "amicable resolution" trivia). We are still waiting for any outcome from the Google RTB complaint to the DPC in 2018.
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
This is insanity. Irish Presidency's draft text of amendments to the GDPR allows training & operation of any AI without safeguards & tough legal basis (under "legitimate interest" a company claims what it is doing is OK. Up to you to find out and challenge in court). This is a free pass for US Tech.
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
France is now saying it out loud: tech firms must stop diverting European corporate tax to Ireland www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...
irishtimes.com
French minister wants Ireland to share its technology tax billions
French finance minister calls for large tax revenues from tech multinationals to be more fairly distributed across EU
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Jakub Jaraczewski @jakubjaraczewski.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
🇨🇦🇪🇺 All those decades of people explaining that Canada is "a mix of an European country and United States" are finally paying off.
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I'll be on Morning Ireland shortly to discuss von der Leyen's #SOTEU announcement about protecting children online and AI.
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Job announcement: please come and work with us at the Irish Council for Civil Liberties. We want to hire an officer & operations manager. www.iccl.ie/news/vacancy...
iccl.ie
Could you be ICCL's new Office and Operations Manager?
The deadline to apply is 2pm on Friday 2 October 2026.
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
@cloud.eurosky.social how goes it John?
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
This is a fantastic interview. “I’ve never heard anyone trash the very thing they’re here to promote quite like Mr T does today.” Bravo @shattenstone.bsky.social! www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
theguardian.com
‘I don’t chase the dollar. I never did’: the astonishing hidden life of Mr T
He grew up in the ghetto, became a global superstar – then gave it all up. Why did he step away from the spotlight?
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Erik is the CEO of a company that competes against Google in adtech
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The European Commission told Google last year that a breakup of its RTB business is required. The wiggle room is that Google can propose alternatives. (para 2160-1 of doc ec.europa.eu/competition/... )
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Google, proven illegal ad tech monopoly, gets to retain its RTB exchange. This puts it up to European enforcers who have already signalled they want to break Google up, but have waited for the US Court to move first to avoid Trump friction. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/02/t...
nytimes.com
In a Big Win, Google Won’t Have to Break Up Its Ad Tech Business, Court Rules
In a long-awaited decision, a federal judge said Google must change its ad tech business to address antitrust issues, but did not disclose the measures.
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Tony Tassell @tonytassell.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
FT Editorial on Israel’s de facto annexation of the West Bank www.ft.com/content/9669...
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
This seems significant…
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Tony - Pod Guy - Groves @tonygroves.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Today the Government will have an emergency Dáil sitting over fuel excise duty. Later today the latest homelessness figures will be announced. A new record, no doubt, with over 7k children in emergency accommodation. But there’ll be no emergency sitting for them.
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Good piece from Ellen O'Regan of POLITICO: “How a 17th-century Irish law is shielding Big Tech from class actions in Europe”. www.politico.eu/article/17th...
politico.eu
How a 17th-century Irish law is shielding Big Tech from class actions in Europe
Ireland has limits on outside funding for court challenges, stopping Europeans from seeking compensation from Big Tech for harms.
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Big piece from @fotoole.bsky.social in this morning's Irish Times, about Ireland's big tech payoff and the harm to children it allows www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026...
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Big piece from Fintan O'Toole in this morning's Irish Times, about Ireland's big tech payoff and the harm to children it allows www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026...
irishtimes.com
Will Ireland continue to take TikTok’s money after M9 crash? Too bloody true we will
We are living off the immoral earnings generated by deliberately addictive and toxic content aimed at children
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
“Apple booked pre-tax profits of $6m per employee in Ireland, compared with just $51,000 per employee in Germany…” (This information is only public now because new EU law forces transparency) www.ft.com/content/65fb...
ft.com
Apple paid $17bn in taxes to Ireland after court ruling on back levies
New filings highlight iPhone maker’s global tax liabilities
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Dave Keating @davekeating.substack.com · 22/08/2026
If only we had leaders with this kind of nerve in Europe. Instead, we get continual surrender to Trump. Even though Europe is much more capable of defending itself from the US than Canada , which is much much more exposed. The difference is courage. Something Europe needs to find.
bbc.com
Canada says it will match US tariffs 'dollar for dollar' as trade talks break down
A new 50% levy on $20bn of Canadian imports comes into force after a last-minute breakdown in trade talks.
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
This redaction deserves to be challenged. I’d like to see them follow the story to wherever it leads. www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...
irishtimes.com
Details of Taoiseach’s correspondence with tech giant Apple withheld on security grounds
Some of the world’s biggest technology companies lobbied the Government on AI and online safety before Ireland’s EU presidency
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Thomas Piketty Irelands economic model harms other countries, speaking to @naomiohreally.bsky.social in this morning’s Irish Times www.irishtimes.com/life-style/p...
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Dave Keating @davekeating.substack.com · 29/07/2026
I'm so tired of EU national leaders talking out of two sides of their mouths - saying the EU should do more and be stronger and then refusing to give it the money and resources necessary to do so. Because they lack the political courage to be honest with citizens about why it is needed.
davekeating.substack.com
Northern leaders want to cut an EU budget already on a shoestring
EU national leaders keep saying they want a union that “does more.” Then they show up in Brussels asking it to spend less.
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
On 16 July Chinese LLMs reached near parity with top US LLMs. This indicates 3 things: 1. China’s heavy AI regulation (it has at least as much AI law as the EU) did not stop AI innovation. 2. Revoking Biden’s AI Executive Order did not protect US lead. ...
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
As I wrote in my The Economist letter in March, China's heavily regulated LLM industry is catching up on US largely unregulated industry (Kimi 3 has near parity with Claude Opus 5). Safety standards didn't stop Chinese innovation. The EU must reconsider its assumption that deregulation = innovation.
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
I'll be speaking in a few minutes at IETF 126, at the Privacy Enhancements and Assessments Research Group datatracker.ietf.org/meeting/126/...
datatracker.ietf.org
https://datatracker.ietf.org/meeting/126/materials/agenda-126-pearg
# Privacy Enhancements and Assessments Research Group (PEARG) Agenda - IETF 126 ## Time and Date * Tuesday 21st Jul, 16:30-18:00 CEST (Tuesday 21st Jul 2026 14:30-16:00 UTC) * [IETF Agenda Link](htt...
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
"Extremely unpleasant" meetings. Former Irish Data Protection Commissioner on discussion with European colleagues. www.lawsociety.ie/gazette/top-...
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Ireland's Minister for Enterprise met Meta to discuss the "digital agenda for Ireland's EU presidency" at a private dinner at the US ambassador's residence. It was hosted "in partnership with Meta". www.independent.ie/business/min...
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Big interview with @alemanno.bsky.social Alberto Alemanno in Austria’s Die Presse. “Ireland is too pro-American to lead EU meetings neutrally” www.diepresse.com/36404799/irl...
diepresse.com
„Irland ist zu proamerikanisch, um EU-Treffen neutral zu leiten“
Der Europarechtler Alberto Alemann kritisiert Dublin für Interessenkonflikte und fordert Irland auf, sich während seines sechsmonatigen Ratsvorsitzes nicht mit den Themen Digitales und...
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
New York Times on what new EU transparency rules reveal about Microsoft's tax: 40% of all income registered in Ireland, 0.5% registered in Germany. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/03/t...
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Cecilia Rikap @ceciliarikap.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Our letter demanding the Eau's Irish presidency to recuse itself from digital and fiscal (tax) files is now out at the @financialtimes.com Check it out and help us disseminate it! giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
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Alberto Alemanno @alemanno.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Ireland now chairs the Council of the EU including the digital rulebook & tax reform files it has spent a decade resisting. You can’t referee a game you’re playing in. Here’s our call for Ireland to recuse itself 👇
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Important from prominent EPP MEPs Andreas Schwab @aschwab.bsky.social & Pablo Arias: "Concerns regarding Ireland's historical enforcement of the GDPR and its economic alignment with large non-EU technology firms raise serious questions about its capacity to neutrally oversee these negotiations".
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Irish Council for Civil Liberties 🏳️‍🌈 @iccl.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
50 years ago today, a group of activists, academics and lawyers gathered in Trinity College Dublin for the inaugural meeting of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
My piece in Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung @sz-dossier.de this morning shows how Ireland's EU presidency is an opportunity for Germany. Unready for a direct confrontation with Trump and US Tech, Berlin an use Ireland as a lever to apply pressure from a distance. www.sueddeutsche.de/dossier/gast...
sueddeutsche.de
Deutschland und Europa müssen Druck auf Irland ausüben (Gastbeitrag) | SZ Dossier
Dieser Gastbeitrag von Johnny Ryan wurde ursprünglich im Briefing “Digitale Reformpläne” des Dossiers Digitalwende am Freitag, 3. Juli 2026 veröffentlicht.
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Ireland's Taoiseach (Prime Minister) had to respond to my piece in The Guardian yesterday morning. But...
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Tomorrow, Ireland takes over as EU Council Presidency for six months, when the EU is renegotiating tech and tax rules. In The Guardian this morning I argue it must recuse itself from these discussions because it is so captured by big tech. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Ireland is big tech’s lapdog – and that compromises its EU presidency | Johnny Ryan
The country is dependent on the global giants that call Dublin home. Irish ministers can’t be trusted to chair vital European digital sovereignty talks, says Irish civil liberties campaigner Johnny Ry...
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
I am very happy to announce that we have appointed Louise Hooper as Enforce's new AI expert. Louise was a barrister at top London set Garden Court Chambers for more than two decades, and has joined us full time. enforce.ie/staff/louise...
enforce.ie
Louise Hooper appointed AI Expert - Enforce
Enforce has appointed Louise Hooper as AI Expert. She was previously a barrister at London's Garden Court Chambers for two decades.
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
A year ago today I said it would not be necessary to contemplate child social media ban if we had faith in our regulators or tech. Strong tools exist but go unused: -AI Act Art 1(b) -GDPR Art 8 and 9 -AVMSD Art 28 (b)(1) -DSA (interim measures, crisis response mechanism) www.iccl.ie/digital-data...
iccl.ie
ICCL Enforce calls for digital enforcement to protect children - Irish Council for Civil Liberties
Remarks of Johnny Ryan at the Media, Internet & Data Protection Bar Association. He called for enforcement of regulation against tech firms.
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
The fantastic @caoilfhionn.bsky.social is interviewing former President of Ireland Mary McAleese on stage at ICCL’s 50th anniversary conference right now.
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Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
EU, tech law CJEU: Member States can require age verification for porn, and ban rebroadcast of traffic cop information also ***a website that controls what viewers see via an algorithm is liable for the content*** curia.europa.eu/site/upload/...
curia.europa.eu
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
3 day preliminary hearing in ICCL class action v Microsoft tomorrow. In Ireland’s first ever class action, this hearing asks: who bears the burden of proof when big tech uses your data in bizarre & hidden ways? Is it you or they who is required to be transparent about it? enforce.ie/digital-data...
enforce.ie
Preliminary hearing on burden of proof - Enforce
Class action will target “Real-Time Bidding” (RTB) data breach in Microsoft’s advertising system, and is anticipated to affect Microsoft’s operations across the EU
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
3 day preliminary hearing in ICCL class action v Microsoft starts tomorrow. In Ireland’s first ever class action, this hearing asks: who bears the burden of proof when big tech uses your data in bizarre & hidden ways? Is it you or they who is required to be transparent about it? @iccl.bsky.social
iiccl.bsky.social
Bluesky
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Posted without comment
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
I’m making a text adventure game. You wake up on a bench in 2026. You are Paul Baran. Your last memory is 1970. The game is called “A little caution”.
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Bravo UK CMA arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
arstechnica.com
Google ordered to put clearer links in AI search and let UK publishers opt out
Google must change AI Overviews after claiming users don't want "lots of sources."
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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
I told Reuters last week that Meta's new employee-surveillance-to-train-AI-to-replace-employees (apparently called the "Model Capability Initiative") is a sign of what is to come every worker, everywhere. We want to hear from Meta employees. www.reuters.com/business/met...
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UCD Centre for Digital Policy @ucddigitalpolicy.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
We are delighted to announce the appointment of @johnnyryan.bsky.social to Adjunct Full Professor at the UCD Centre for Digital Policy! Johnny is a globally recognised expert and scholar whose work and litigation has influenced digital law and policy in Europe and the United States.
digitalpolicy.ie
Johnny Ryan - UCD Centre for Digital Policy
Dr Johnny Ryan (FRHistS) is the Director of Enforce, ICCL's unit holding Big Tech to account under European law. He is the architect of class-action
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