X rolls out porn age-checks in Ireland

Euractiv

2 days ago

The Irish regulator confirmed to Euractiv on Monday that social media platform X has provided it with information about age checks under the country's Online Safety Code.
Under Ireland's Online Safety Code, video-sharing platforms such as X faced a deadline last week to put age checks in place on their platforms if they carry pornographic or violent content. But on Thursday Coimisiún na Meán, which oversees the Code, raised the alarm about X after an initial review showed it was falling short.
X appears to have taken quick notice of the warning as Coimisiún na Meán said the social media firm responded to it on Friday "with information about the measures they have taken", according to a statement emailed to Euractiv.
"We note that users are now seeing these measures in effect when using this service," Coimisiún na Meán also told us.
In an online post in its Help Center on Friday, X wrote that due to the Irish Online Safety Code and the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), it is required "to verify your age for access to certain types of content."
Per the platform's explainer of its approach to age assurance, X suggests that it may not need users to provide it with additional information to run the age checks as it said it may be able to rely on existing signals that a user is over 18 – such as self-attested age, legacy verified public figures, a user's email address, social connections or other data points.
However, if it is unable to make a determination using existing data-points, X said it could ask users to choose between uploading a live selfie to run AI-powered facial age estimation or submitting a government-issued ID for an AI scan of the credential.
In a statement emailed to Euractiv, an X spokesperson described child safety as "a top priority", adding: "We are fully committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations, including the Irish Online Safety Code, and we are prioritising its implementation on X."
While X has kicked off age checks in Ireland it remains to be seen whether its approach will pass muster with the regulator.
"We will assess whether these measures... are sufficient to comply with the Online Safety Code," Coimisiún na Meán also wrote .
Breaches of the Irish Code can attract fines of up to €20 million or 10% of annual turnover.
(nl)