Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 January 2022
203. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media her priorities in the context of addressing the issue of violence against vulnerable groups as may be promoted by the use of social and electronic media with particular reference to the use of such media for abusive purposes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2861/22]
View answer204. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the way action can be taken to further address the issue of social bullying through the use of electronic media; if she sees the need to take particular steps in this area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2862/22]
View answer205. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she remains satisfied that the public can be sufficiently protected from the use of social media by predators; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2863/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 203, 204 and 205 together.
The Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill will establish a multi-person Media Commission (to be known as Coimisiún na Meán) including an Online Safety Commissioner, dissolve the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, establish regulatory frameworks for online safety and the regulation of audiovisual media services, and transpose the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive.
It will be the role of the Online Safety Commissioner to oversee the regulatory framework for online safety. As part of the framework, the Commissioner will devise binding online safety codes that will set out how designated online services, including social media services, are expected to deal with certain defined categories of harmful online content on their platforms.
In particular, online safety codes will ensure that designated online services take appropriate measures to reduce the availability of illegal content on their services. Such illegal content includes, for example, relevant offences under Coco’s Law, or the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020. It is intended that this will have the effect of tackling the availability, on designated online services, of intimate images which have been shared without consent and of threatening or grossly offensive communications about, or to, another person.
Outside of illegal content, and among others, online safety codes may also include measures that a designated online service must take to reduce the availability of online content by which a person bullies or humiliates another person. Importantly, this category of content will be subject to a risk of harm test which is set out in the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill.
Under the Bill, in the event of a failure to comply with a relevant online safety code, and subject to Court approval, the Media Commission will have the power to sanction non-compliant online services, including through financial sanctions of up to €20 million or 10% of turnover.
