An Irish online watchdog is to be tasked with taking down violent and obscene content posted on social media from across Europe, it has emerged.
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), which until now only dealt with TV and radio, is set to regulate harmful video content published online from dozens of countries.
But questions remain as to whether the watchdog has the capacity to carry out this large-scale piece of work, which has struggled with staff shortages in the past.
The BAI is set to police all video content posted on social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, which is owned by Google.
This includes all video content posted in Ireland and across Europe, as many of these social media giants have their European headquarters in Ireland.
Content that raises child protection concerns, incites hatred and involves criminal offences or advertising will all come under scrutiny as part of the new set of measures.
The BAI, the watchdog for television and radio in Ireland, will now be responsible for new rules coming into place for video content on social media sites.
The new rules - which Ireland and every other EU country must follow - will require age verification, according to the Sunday Independent.
The rules, which must be in place by September 2020, will also include increased parental controls and a complaints mechanism.
This will mark the first time a State regulator will have the power to police harmful online content posted on the major social media sites.
BAI chief Michael O’Keeffe said the big companies must take responsibility for the content posted on their platforms.
“There will definitely be pressure on Ireland because Facebook, Google, Twitter… all of them are here,” Mr O’Keeffe told the Sunday Independent.
“We would be suggesting things like age verification systems and content rating systems. And a robust complaints resolution system.
“Given the size and the scale of the content, you have to put the onus on the companies,” Mr O’Keeffe added.
The State has come under increasing pressure to stem the flood of pornography and other harmful online content available to children, following the verdict in the Ana Kriegel murder trial.
The nation was shocked as it emerged that one of the 14-year-old boys tried for her murder had a number of pornographic images on his phone, including pictures of child porn and bestality.
Late last week, Leo Varadkar told the Dail that he wants to make it harder for children to access pornographic images.
In line with this, the Taoiseach is considering the introduction of new laws banning under-18s from accessing internet porn.
He told the Dail: “It is a concern pornography is so accessible to young people.
“And indeed to many young people learn about sex through pornography which is not an accurate representation of what is healthy in life.”
