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SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES must adhere to long-awaited online safety rules, published today, or face fines worth up to €20 million or 10% of their annual turn over.
The Irish media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, today finalised the Online Safety Code which creates a list of binding rules for video-sharing platforms with headquarters based in Ireland. It is the first of its kind in Ireland.
Strict rules prohibiting content that promotes acts of terror, cyberbulling, any method or type of self harm or incites violence or hate make up part of the code. Age verification tools must also be placed on pornographic content.
More robust parental controls will also be established in the rules for guardians of children below the age of 16. The companies must ensure that reporting mechanisms are present on their websites to allow members of the public to flag illegal content.
Ireland is one of the last countries in the EU to introduce such rules – which could now be seen as redundant since strict European-wide regulations were only introduced last year.
Earlier this year, the European Court of Justice imposed a massive €2.5 million fine, and additional, daily €10,000 fines on Ireland over the failure to establish this code in line with the September 2020 deadline – which was missed by most member states.
However, since the introduction and enactment of the Digital Services Act last year, that introduced the largest tranche of regulations on social media companies in Europe to date, the media regulator has been working quickly to establish its rules.
The Online Safety Code, which makes up part of a different directive on user safety on video-sharing platforms, rules that social media companies must provide media literacy tools for users, to help people recognise dis-and-mis-information.
It was established following a lengthy public engagement programme. A draft code was previously in place so the Irish law could be in line with EU regulations and so that the regulator could enforce new rules.
Reporting mechanisms, as explained by the regulator in an interview with The Journal last year, will be completed by the independent regulator, who will assess reports from across the EU and chose to take action by engaging with the platforms’ owners.
These mechanisms were previously used by the regulator and the EU during the riot in Dublin last November. Today’s new rules will allow the regulator take a stronger approach to cases where possible breaches have been identified, if necessary.
Some social media experts and regulation advocacy groups have pointed to holes in the code, particularly over its lack of regulations targeting ‘harmful or toxic’ algorithms.
There are no particular rules targeting the mechanisms – used to automatically curate a user’s feed – included in today’s 32-page report but it does reference algorithms when describing the type of platforms that fall under the new rules.
CyberSafeKids – an organisation advocating for better protections for children on line – called for the code to be implemented following a commissioned report in September that found a quarter of children aged 8-12 had come across harmful content on line.
A report, commissioned by the same organisation and published last week, found the same amount of the group believed they spend too much time online.
The code has been welcomed by Taoiseach Simon Harris, who in recent months has taken aim at social media companies in the aftermath of the rioting in Dublin city, Coolock and Belfast within the last year.
“The Online Safety Code sends a strong message to social media platforms that they will be held accountable for how they protect those who use their sites from harmful video content,” he said in a statement.
Jeremy Godfrey, the chief of the Irish media regulator, said that Irish users should not hesitate to report content they see online which they believe to be illegal and has invited the public to engage with the commission’s Contact Centre for advice or guidance.
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Can we also fine international Vulture Funds 10% of their annual turn over for buying up our housing stock? Musk will have his followers shout free speech against this. #FGsVultureFunds
@9QRixo8H: How about just stopping them from purchasing them altogether. Why the hell should some Chinese bank or whatever, own a housing estate in Leitrim? Vote nationalist. Its the only way at this point.
@FlipBip: “nationalist” candidates couldn’t describe what a vulture fine is. Never mind knowing anything about capital markets. I would be surprised if the majority of them could correctly spell finance. They are the dregs of society. Would sooner vote for my dog.
@Eoin Jackson: *vulture fund
@Eoin Jackson: Oof
@FlipBip: all the opposition parties want to ban vulture funds. Just not FG or FF
“More robust parental controls will also be established in the rules for guardians of children below the age of 16.”
All well and good, but Parental Control has been a thing for years but parents are either ignorant of them or couldn’t be bothered with… nevermind the fact they’re easily circumvented.
@Kieran Menon:
Know what’d be great? If they cracked down on phone companies who allow scam calls to call numbers in sequence.
@Kieran Menon: how would a phone company stop that ,it’s a computer program that select numbers then sents the text /voice mail whatever.
The mobiles are connected to the computer 50 at a time ,it has nothing to do with phone companies
What will the dole merchants do with no X to spread false information anymore? Will Mick O Keefee have to actually get a job? Interesting times.
To be welcomed.
The only thing these guys care about is money.
Musk wasn’t long about tucking his tail between his legs when stood up to.
About Time.. long overdue to protect our kids who are at the mercy of these tech companies. Comparable to wolf and lambs.
Social Media companies should be banned. Cybersafe kids should be banned. Commisiun na Mean should be banned!
Good. I hope one day this will bring Meta to their knees. They are the worst kind of subhuman filth.
Facebook especially needs to take reports seriously. 1000s of scammer profiles get reported daily and nothing at all happens to them. All you’re allowed to do is block them from your view or hide any ads like those deep fake crypto scams if that even is an option. They need to scrutinize ads and check them before getting approved, a simple keyword search with the oh so great AI they have shouldn’t be any problem bit a s long as they get paid it’s f all
@no no no: they should be regulated like print media. They wouldn’t be long getting their houses in order if they were getting sued for defamation for allowing all the crap they do. Future generations will look back in shock at how poorly regulated social media companies are now
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