In his annual report published in April, the Data Protection Commissioner, Billy Hawkes, published a fictional day in the life of "Annie Wun" which highlighted just how much of our daily activity is tracked by a range of public and private bodies.
Internet searches:Your IP address - the unique address of your computer on the internet - plus the term you searched for, are held for 18 months
Telephone calls:Details of who you call are retained for three years
Toll booths:If you use an electronic tolling tag, the time and date you passed through a toll will be retained.
Work:Most employers now have cameras as a matter of course in their reception areas. Clock-in systems are also increasingly electronic and in some cases are based on biometric data such as a worker's thumbprint
Banking:International money transfers using the Swift exchange system can be accessed by the authorities
Supermarkets:Loyalty cards record all your purchases and CCTV records your entry and exit
Library: Your reading habits are recorded on the local authority's database
Revenue Commissioners:A range of information from your tax return is associated with your PPS number, such as whether you are a member of a trade union, whether you have paid refuse charges, and the level of medical expenses you have incurred.
Travel:If you book a flight to the US you will be profiled by the authorities there, based on the personal information you have provided to the airline, to assess whether you pose a threat to security.