Fighting Cybercrime: A Review of the Irish Experience

Criminal computer data legislation in Ireland dates to 1991, however its next iteration was not until 2017. Its implementation is still in its infancy and needs an effective, consistent constitutional framework to ensure accountability and action. Irish legislation is important for monitoring 30% of EU data but is limited in its belated modernisation. Therefore, it is important for personal, criminal, and national security defining cybercrime legislation to review current Irish legislation of technology related crimes. Statistics alone cannot interpret legislative efficacy, and therefore qualitative understanding the experiences of digital security practitioners whose professions are directed by relevant legislation could produce beneficial insights.  This research analysed interviews with seventeen digital security experts about their professional experiences and opinions relating to cybercrime legislation. Primary emergent themes were identified as: Awareness and prioritisation, jurisdiction and reporting limits, technological advances and the legislative sprawl of dealing with cybercrime today. This research contributes to Irish legal understandings of cybercrime regulation and technology use today and suggests how to address legislative developments in the future, based on the experiences of an expert security panel.