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THE DATA PROTECTION Commissioner is investigating allegations that gardaí have been accessing the Pulse database to check up on their daughters boyfriends, among other things.
According to a report in today’s Irish Daily Mail (print edition only) gardaí have been using the Pulse system – which logs information about any incident involving members of the force – to illegally access information about people.
There have been complaints to the Data Protection Commissioner about gardaí running background checks on people their family members are involved with, and to check on the accident history of cars they’re thinking of buying.
According to the Daily Mail, a garda source has said that there is no widespread abuse of the Pulse database and that an investigation into the use of the system is not a problem.
The Commissioner’s annual report for 2010 detailed that a Code of Practice for garda use of the Pulse system which was agreed in 2007 was not being implemented. The report stated:
It is disappointing to report that, despite our repeated engagements on this issue, the monitoring of access by members of An Garda Síochána to Pulse falls short of the standards we expect. We wish to see significant progress by the Gardaí in pro-actively monitoring Pulse access in 2011 and will be carrying out an audit to satisfy ourselves of this progress.
Wrong as it is, I wish I could do background checks on my daughters boyfriends. I don’t blame them as I would do anything to protect them.
It is just another example of the unprofessional approach to the job that frankly defines your average guard.
I think most of us would do the same if we had access to such a system. Can’t blame them.
It’s easy to do. A background check can easily be obtained online.
@Tony, you obviously aren’t a father, or if you are you musn’t care for your childrens welfare very much if you think what these guards are doing is wrong. I’m sure they put their childrens safety on a much higher scale than what might be deemed to be unprofessional. the same applies to checking cars that they may be buying! if you had the chance would you not want to know if the car you were about to spend thousands on and driving your family around in was involved in an accident where that could deem it unsafe.
Hardly the end of the world is it? Wouldn’t most people check if they could!?
People are outraged but let’s be honest, we all would if we could :)
I wonder did they need any extra training at the taxpayers’ expense to manage this task?
Yeah, pretty much this.
the father of my ex (a guard) did a pulse check on my entire family. and told me! hardly what its for!
That’s creepy. You should have reported him.
Is there any way I can check accident history of car?
cartel.ie
@John Mack Thanks but they don’t seem to provide accident history
Why thumbs down? I can’t see they provide accident history
Sean, you’re correct – they won’t know anything about accidents that didn’t cause the car to be written off.
And the reason that I also gave you a thumbs down is because you seem to care if you get them or not, which is a little sad.
One red raisin for you ‘voice of raison’ for being so pedantic and judgemental.
Of course I realise the irony of this statement as I press on your red thumb.
How is this any different than a father checking a chaps facebook or whatever to see if they chap his daughter is dating is a creep
Don’t see anything wrong here, unless I start dating a gardai’s daughter!
It’s wrong because it’s abusing their power to breach someone’s personal data.
as said in other comments if this was in the financial sector or the health sector, bricks would be shat by everyone!
Facebook has details you choose to put on it, pulse has access to private details
Accessing your private details is a breach of the data protection act.
If you think it’s ok then I guess you should post all your private details online after all its like facebook apparently
@Neil – Isn’t gossip breaching someone’s personal data (and distributing it too)
Who doesn’t love a little gossip?
@Paul, actually i don’t enjoy a good gossip, I respect people’s privacy. I fear you’re getting a bit side tracked here, the issue is with Gardaí misusing a database that was set up to cross check previous criminal records with offenders, not so they could get dirt on people who they didn’t take a fancy to.
If this was bank managers checking financial details of their daughters boyfriends there would be outrage…
Theres a big difference between your financial and criminal history.
And you think they don’t?
Many of the comments above illustrate the fact that there is a widespread acceptance of corruption across Irish society. Morgan Kelly said the same thing in his lecture at the Kilkenny Arts’ Festival. There is not much of a difference between saying “oh I’d have done the same thing if I were a Garda” and “I’d have done the same thing if I were Seánie Fitz”. Corruption is corruption, and condoning it can only lead to an erosion of values.
Violating someone’s privacy for spurious reasons is unprofessional and wrong. I really hope that there is an end put to this disgusting practice.
Spot on Fiachra. I’m quite amazed at the majority of comments on here saying “it’s harmless”. Would they be saying the same if it had been done to them? And what about Ivor Callely? “Sure I’d have claimed expenses from West Cork too” (to the tune of almost €40,000 a year). Where does this lack of accountability stop?
Agreed. I can’t belive so many people think it’s ok. As for the "I’d do it too" lot, I’m lost for words.
Take care getting down off your moral high horses people; it seems like you’re quite high up on them.
LOL. Typical response these days. ‘You lot moaning about wanting high standards in public office are just a load of moral indignants.’ Ah, this country, sure why would you want things to be better, we’ve got our health what else would you be worried about?
That’s all Grand and Dandy saying ‘we’d do it if it was my daughter’,
but whats stopping them checking the history of a new neighbour,
or someone a Garda has a property dispute with etc… or even a person they just don’t take a liking to?
Facebook is controlled by you the user you choose who you want to see your information and who you share with.
The pluse system was not intended for garda to use to seek personal information about someone / something
It was intended for use in connection with their work
Again another example of how some members of the force think they can do what they want when they want and get away with it
It’s definitely wrong! It would be wrong if a health care worker looked up the health records of people their kids were dating.. you wouldn’t want your daughter dating someone with a history of STD’s like! I guess some personal data is valued more to some people. There’s an awful sense of ‘only criminals need be concerned’ in the comments here. That’s dangerous thinking..
“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety”
This is something that has been happening through generations of police / Garda work!! The thing is the info is just easier to get and perhaps that little more tempting to read!! Right or wrong I’m not sure?!
Of course it is news!! Whats the differance between this and the hacking scandal in england?
This is hardly news, is it? Just that they’ve been caught.
Hardly world breaking News now folks……. as a father, I think i would use the facility to check out a possible suitor for ‘My Princess’ if it was available…….maybe there should be more checks made on the Pulse System in light of recent revelations ,re- School caretakers. etc….
I think it is perfectly normal for anybody to want to know the sort of person a family member is involved with. What is wrong with reading the info that is there so long as it is true and used for positive reasons. It would be very different if the information obtained was being used for a bit of gossip over a pint.
Nothing is going to be done about it.It will be a slap on the hand and dont do it again.After all thats all thats ever done when stuff like this happens in Ireland.
Human nature!!
Oh for Gods sake. Obviously they shouldn’t be doing it. But reading the comments on here is making me crazy. You do know it’s very easy to obtain these type of records online right?
Have they not heard of Facebook?
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