The number of complaints made by members of the public to the Data Protection Commissioner rose significantly last year with over 1,000 new investigations being launched compared with 658 in 2006.

The increase was attributed to a rise in complaints connected with unsolicited text messages, which made up 38 per cent of complaints. The report also showed a large number of complaints in relation to the marketing practices of Sky, while Tesco came under scrutiny for sending unsolicited e-mails to customers. Eircom gave €35,000 to charity after complaints about unwanted marketing telephone calls.