'Widespread abuse' of Garda phone powers, claims whistleblowers

'Widespread abuse' of Garda phone powers, claims whistleblowers 

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/widespread-abuse-of-garda-phone-powers-claims-whistleblower/35880363.html

A second Garda whistleblower has made serious allegations of widespread abuse by Garda intelligence of the powers surrounding the accessing of phone records, the Irish Independent can reveal.

The officer has claimed that tens of thousands of phone records were "unlawfully obtained" and that over a period of years retired gardaí routinely accessed people's records without proper authorisation.

According to correspondence seen by this newspaper, the whistleblower claims that she repeatedly raised her concerns about the processes surrounding the accessing of phone records but was ignored.

The whistleblower was attached to a highly sensitive section known as the Telephone Liaison Unit (TLU).

The TLU is tasked with approving applications for phone calls and text messages to be traced as part of Garda investigations.

There are allegations:

That tens of thousands of phone records have been "unlawfully obtained" over a period of years.

A serving garda was arrested based on false information being submitted as part of an application.

Retired members of the force would routinely obtain phone records without authorisation.

Widespread concern was raised as to why clerical officers and clerks were submitting applications in the name of superintendents.

For years, there was no written procedure in place despite the sensitivity of the work carried out by the TLU.

The whistleblower is a serving middle ranking officer who is currently on suspension from the force for unrelated matters.

https://extra.ie/2026/01/21/news/irish-news/gardai-powers-to-spy-on-phones

Judge Marie Baker, covered up the unlawful spying by Gardai , she never even spoke to the whistleblowers 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/no-political-link-to-phone-tapping-of-party-activist-6g9q9mkxs

Exclusive: Inside the murky world of phone taps and Garda intelligence

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/exclusive-inside-the-murky-world-of-phone-taps-and-

garda-intelligence-35710134.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvn_LEx15IQ

http://claredaly.ie/justice-questions-re-alleged-garda-phone-tapping/

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2017-05-17/25/

Cover up by political Judge M Baker

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/how-our-probe-into-claims-of-garda-phone-

tapping-sparked-debate-in-dail-35727966.html

Cover up

‘Allegations of phone tapping by An Garda Síochána’

http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/SP17000165

Garda: I was bullied after exposing phone-tape abuse

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/garda-i-was-bullied-after-exposing-phone-tape-abuse/30147067.html

Gardai lying as always

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/latest-garda-siochana-say-rules-around-

phone-tapping-strengthened-in-recent-years-789534.html

Phones of whistle-blowers, TDs, journalists ‘regularly monitored’,Dáil told

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/oireachtas/phones-of-whistle-blowers-tds-journalists-

regularly-monitored-d%C3%A1il-told-1.3086868

Thousands of requests made to secretly track Irish phone calls

Vodafone reveals governments using secret wires that allow them to listen to

conversations

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/thousands-of-requests-made-to-secretly-track-

irish-phone-calls-1.1822930

Gardaí sought access to hundreds of private emails

Gardaí sought access to hundreds of personal emails and other electronic accounts last year amid growing concerns over the safeguards protecting privacy.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-20226189.html

The Irish Examiner can reveal that more than 92,000 disclosures were made to State agencies by phone and internet firms from 2013 to 2017- around 18,450 on average per year.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/personal-data-shared-92000-times-to-stateagencies-by-phone-and-internet-firms-891004.html 

Minister McEntee obtains High Court order requiring retention of data. Breach of peoples rights, two years in a row

https://www.irishlegal.com/articles/grossly-irresponsible-surveillance-regime-expected-to-face-eu-court-challenge

https://www.lawsociety.ie/gazette/top-stories/2024/june/mcentee-obtains-new-order-on-data-retention

https://www.irishlegal.com/articles/secret-court-hearing-again-approves-surveillance-for-next-12-months

https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-justice-home-affairs-and-migration/press-releases/minister-mcentee-obtains-high-court-order-requiring-retention-of-data-for-state-security/