Data protection is at a crossroads, and the growth in popularity of smart technology and apps is likely to present new challenges in the near future, a conference on data protection has been told.

The National Data Protection Conference, which took place in Dublin Castle, heard from a number of experts who identified areas where Irish businesses and consumers might face issues in the months and years to come, with data breaches and attacks on the rise.

Mark Rasdale, a partner with Goodbody A&L, noted that the pace of change in technology was presenting new challenges.

Although consumers were generally quite aware of how technology could affect privacy, the slow takeup of some technology meant that regulators could not identify potential issues with data protection.

Eagle eye
The discussion was held as it was revealed that apps such as Angry Birds were considered a gold mine of information for spy agencies in the UK and US.

"Should people worry about it? There's not a black and white answer to that," security expert Brian Honan said. "Historically it has been shown that governments abuse data, so today the information they may gather on you may be benign and the governments may be benign, but who's to say there won't be a change in three or five years' time?"

Mr Rasdale warned attendees that the proliferation of apps would present a challenge for both app developers and data protection regulators as apps increasingly gained access to private information on individuals, such as location, messages, authentication and payment data.

However, a recent survey found only 60 per cent of apps had a data protection policy, and some may be out of date where the app had a major shift in functionality.

The introduction of augmented reality technology, such as that used with Google Glass and other wearable technology, and how information was exchanged between such devices was also highlighted as an area of concern.