An Irish human rights group on Tuesday submitted a formal complaint to the European Commission alleging that Ireland’s appointment of a former Meta lobbyist to its Data Protection Commission is illegal.

Ireland did not ensure the appointment process for Niamh Sweeney was fair, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) alleges. European Union law mandates that independent supervisory authorities be “above any suspicion of partiality,” the group said.

Sweeney, who was appointed on September 25, is now one of three chief regulators for data protection in Ireland. Her LinkedIn profile indicates she was at Meta from 2015-2021, spearheading public policy for WhatsApp in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. She also lobbied for Facebook in Ireland.

One of the five panelists charged with appointing the commissioner is a lawyer with big tech and social media companies, Politico reported earlier this month. 

The lawyer representing big tech companies, Leo Moore, was the only member of the panel with data protection expertise, according to the ICCL.

“The result was the appointment of an individual who appears to have no technical, legal, or investigative expertise,” the press release said. “To the contrary, the appointee was in fact lobbying against a high standard of protection of personal data and the objectives of the DPC in their previous roles.”

The DPC is charged with regulating large technology and social media companies.

A European Commission spokesperson said the body is “not empowered to take action with respect to appointments,” suggesting the complaint will not succeed.

Prior to Sweeney’s appointment, the European Data Protection Board overruled a DPC decision not to fine Meta, pushing for tougher enforcements against the tech giant for data protection violations relating to behavioral advertising.

The DPC declined to comment on the complaint.