All telecommunications companies and Internet service providers must register with the Data Protection Commissioner's Office from today under a new order signed yesterday by the Data Protection Commissioner, Mr Joe Meade.

The commissioner believes the move is important to underpin the privacy rights of individuals.

While all organisations gathering and holding data on individuals are supposed to conform to the Data Protection Act of 1988, there has been no specific legal requirement before now.

The commissioner's office said dozens of companies have been licensed to provide telecoms services in recent years.

And Mr Meade believed that, given the extensive databases that telecoms companies and ISPs hold - and the sensitive and personal nature of much of that data - they should be registered.

In a statement, the Commissioner said he believed the order should be seen as "enhancing Ireland's e-commerce environment, particularly in the sensitive area of personal privacy".