Latest news with #NiamhHodnett
RTÉ News
a day ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
New age verification rules for online platforms in place
New online safety rules come into force from today which will require video-sharing platforms to have effective age verification systems in place. Social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and X will be legally obliged to protect users from harmful content under the Online Safety Code. Companies will face fines for breaches of up to €20 million or 10% of a platform's annual turnover, whichever is greater. From today, the rules cover content such as cyberbullying, the promotion of self-harm, suicide, eating disorders or dangerous challenges, as well as pornography and violence. Platforms must also have age assurance systems and parental controls in place. The media regulator Coimisiún na Meán formally adopted the Online Safety Code in October 2024, but platforms were given nine months before the more detailed provisions of the code came into force to allow time for any IT changes that may have been needed. Age verification Under the rules, platforms hosting pornographic or violent material must ensure such content is not accessible without robust age checks. The code does not mandate specific technology but states that age assurance measures based solely on self-declaration by users, are not considered to be effective. The Online Safety Commissioner Niamh Hodnett has previously said that age verification measures must be "robust, privacy-respecting, and holding data for no longer than it is necessary". Examples of age checks might include facial recognition, cognitive skills test or uploading IDs such as passports or driving licenses. Privacy campaigners have expressed concerns about the storage of sensitive personal information used for age verification. Video-sharing platforms The Online Safety Code applies to video-sharing platforms that have their EU headquarters in Ireland. In December 2023, Coimisiún na Meán designated ten platforms that would be covered. They were Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Udemy, TikTok, LinkedIn, X, Pinterest, Tumblr and Reddit. Tumblr and Reddit both took unsuccessful High Court actions against Coimisiún na Meán, arguing that they should not be designated as video-sharing platforms. In May, Coimisiún na Meán de-designated Reddit as a platform under its remit, stating that the company's service to users in the EU is now provided by a Dutch entity. Although Snapchat is incredibly popular among young people, it is not included on the list of designated platforms. This is because it does not have its EU headquarters in Ireland. Asked about regulating Snapchat, Coimisiún na Meán has said it will be working closely with its regulatory counterparts in other EU member states to hold platforms to account for how they keep their users safe. Recommender systems not covered Recommender systems are algorithms that determine what social media users see based on personal data such as search history, past purchases, age and location. Campaign groups and researchers have warned that these algorithms can be "toxic" and often result in inappropriate content appearing in users' feeds, promoting things like hate, extremism, eating disorders and self-harm. These algorithms are not covered by the Online Safety Code. Coimisiún na Meán has said that while it recognises that recommender systems can have harmful impacts on users, especially children, it will be best able to tackle the potential dangers of these systems through its implementation of the EU's set of online safety rules, the Digital Services Act (DSA). The Online Safety Code will run alongside the DSA and form part of Ireland's overall internet safety framework. Ireland's code does not specifically cover disinformation, but Coimisiún na Meán has said that when disinformation crosses the threshold of being illegal content covered by the DSA, or regulated content under the code, platforms must prevent it being uploaded or shared.
RTÉ News
26-06-2025
- RTÉ News
Age checks to be enforced on video sharing platforms from July
Video sharing platforms based in Ireland will face new regulatory obligations to verify users' ages before showing adult content from July, according to Coimisiún na Meán's Online Safety Commissioner. Speaking on Prime Time, Niamh Hodnett said the commission will be "supervising" the platforms to "see what measures have they put in place" from 21 July. The new measures are part of Coimisiún na Meán's Online Safety Code, which requires that platforms hosting pornographic or violent material ensure such content is not accessible without robust age checks. Platforms "have an obligation in relation to age assurance and also parental controls as well as content rating," Ms Hodnett said. "What we require from the July date is either age estimation or age verification, and it has to be effective," Ms Hodnett said. "To date, all the measures have been self-declaration... That's not an effective form of age assurance or age verification." Ms Hodnett also outlined several approaches that could meet the new standards. "That could be done by facial recognition, for example, or cognitive skills, or capacity testing - a maths or puzzle skill or something like that. It can also be done by hard age verification... uploading IDs, whether they're digital IDs or actual copies of passports or driver's licenses." The Commission will not mandate any specific technology, but Ms Hodnett said the systems must be "robust, privacy-respecting, and holding data for no longer than it is necessary". Concerns around privacy were also addressed. Ms Hodnett explained that age verification could be handled through secure intermediaries, not directly by the platforms themselves. "It can be provided to an API or almost like a middleman," she said. "That would just give a signal or a token to the platform as to yes or no, that person is over 18. You wouldn't be sharing your passport or your driver's license with the particular platform... these interfaces or these APIs can just give that signal, and that can be done in a privacy-compliant way." The Commissioner confirmed Ireland is working with European and UK regulators to align age assurance standards. "Together with the European Commission and fellow regulators across the EU... and our colleagues in Ofcom in the UK... it's all coming together this year in relation to effective age assurance." She also pointed to the EU's planned digital identity wallet, which is expected to launch by the end of 2026, with a test version available later this year. The system will allow users to verify their age without sharing personal identification with platforms. While age verification has dominated headlines, Ms Hodnett was clear that it is only one part of Ireland's broader online safety strategy. "It's not the silver bullet to solve all problems of online safety in this space," she said. "There are other measures that we require in our code, such as effective parental controls... restrictions on who can contact a child or whose content can be seen in relation to a child, because we're concerned also about grooming and child sex abuse material." Asked whether stricter enforcement could drive young users toward the dark web, Ms Hodnett acknowledged the risk but said public education was also key. "We provide tools and information on our for parents, for children, indeed for all of us," she said. "We also have education materials that we shared with every school in the country." The first enforcement deadline under the Online Safety Code begins 21 July, when granular requirements for age assurance and other safety measures come into force.
Irish Examiner
28-04-2025
- Irish Examiner
Several social media platforms yet to share online safety plans with regulator
Major social platforms such as X and Reddit have yet to tell the media regulator how they will clamp down on children watching pornographic content on their sites, ahead of a July deadline for the introduction of age checks. Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Online safety commissioner Niamh Hodnett said the platforms that Coimisiún na Meán must regulate carry 'different risks'. Ms Hodnett also hinted that investigations may soon be forthcoming into some of the big tech giants with European headquarters in Ireland. 'There's been extensive engagement with these platforms since [last year],' she said. 'If the supervisory team come to the view they've reached a dead end or the end of the road in relation to supervisory dialogue, and the behaviours haven't changed, then the matter gets escalated to the enforcement team, who then open the matter for investigation.' In July, the second part of Coimisiún na Meán's Online Safety Code comes into force. It obliges YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, Reddit, Tumblr, Facebook, Instagram, Udemy, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter) to take specific actions to combat harmful content such as cyber bullying, the promotion of eating disorders, and promotion of self-harm and suicide. They must also introduce age verification checks to ensure those under the age of 18 cannot view pornography or extreme violence on their platforms. The regulator has not been prescriptive on what form this age verification should take, but said it must be robust and ticking a box to say you are overage would not be sufficient. Previously, its executive chair Jeremy Godfrey told the Irish Examiner that a requirement for a person to show their passport and then a selfie to verify they are the person on the ID could be described as a 'gold standard'. Sanctions for breaches of the code can run into the tens or hundreds of millions of euro. X, Reddit, and Tumblr have taken separate judicial reviews in the High Court against the Online Safety Code. While Reddit and Tumblr failed in these bids, X's case is set to be heard in June, just a month before the code is set to apply to the site. 'In relation to the three platforms in question, no we haven't had sight of what exactly their proposed plans are but nor do we have communication that they're absolutely not going to do it,' she said. Ms Hodnett added there is no 'indicative timeline' for it launching investigations into particular firms if they believe it to be breaching its obligations but said that discussions with these platforms are ongoing. 'We said what's key for us is getting the behavioural change, rather than the big fines,' she said. 'But, of course, if we're not seeing the behavioural change, we will have to resort to investigation and enforcement. Again, not prejudging anything.' Read More Government urged to support bill forcing social media firms to turn off 'addictive' algorithms for children
Irish Independent
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Media regulator has ‘full arsenal of tools' to tackle online child sex material
Ireland's media regulator says it has a 'full arsenal of tools' to target social media sites that publish and promote child sex abuse material and AI-generated sex abuse images. Coimisiun na Mean, which published a three-year strategy and a 2025 work programme on Thursday, said that sex abuse images appearing online are increasing in their prevalence. Niamh Hodnett, the coimisiun's online safety commissioner, said it holds social media platforms to account under the Online Safety Framework. Child sex abuse material is covered by the Digital Services Act (DSA).
Irish Examiner
25-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner view: Big Tech is thumbing its nose at Coimisiún na Meán
Coimisiún na Meán launched its three-year strategy yesterday, and it is difficult to argue against many of the objectives in its plans. Ireland's media regulator picked out several areas which need close attention. Safeguarding children from online threats is one, while maintaining the integrity of elections in the face of interference by malign actors is another. launched its three-year strategy yesterday, and it is difficult to argue against many of the objectives in its plans. Ireland's media regulator picked out several areas which need close attention. Safeguarding children from online threats is one, while maintaining the integrity of elections in the face of interference by malign actors is another. The various dangers posed by artificial intelligence (AI) as well as the regulation of online advertising are other matters under consideration. All in all, Coimisiún na Meán is not short of challenges, some of which have a tendency to infect each other. At the launch of the organisation's strategy, for instance, its online safety commissioner Niamh Hodnett said that it had already engaged with tech organisations about child abuse images generated by AI. 'We did meet with Open AI — ChatGpt — recently,' said Ms Hodnett. We discussed concerns in general in relation to online safety, including AI-generated CSAM [child sexual abuse material], and we would meet with all the platforms in this regard to highlight our concerns.' It is disheartening to consider that Coimisiún na Meán's good intentions are not matched by its powers. Those seem impressive at first — it can impose fines of up to 6% of a company's turnover, or €20m, whichever is greater, but that needs to be seen in context. Just this week, the European Commission fined Apple €500m and Meta €200m for breaches of the EU's digital competition rules, amounts which are staggering to contemplate for mere mortals — but which will hardly cause a ripple in those firms' end-of-year accounts. It would be encouraging to report unequivocal support and co-operation from tech firms when it comes to the significant issues being raised by Coimisiún na Meán, but the regulatory body reported yesterday that it is already dealing with 'pushback' from some firms operating in this area. This is a polite way of saying those firms are thumbing their noses at the State's official regulator, which is an accurate representation of the balance of power here — and an indication of the challenges facing Coimisiún na Meán. Housing targets missed The Department of Housing published figures this week on the Government's social housing targets, and they do not make good reading. The figures show that not only has the Government missed its 2024 social and affordable housing targets, it delivered fewer homes last year than it did in 2023. The Department of Housing reported that there were 7,871 new-build social homes constructed in 2024, over 1,400 homes below the target of 9,300 new builds the Government pledged in its housing for all plan. That 2024 number also falls well short of the 8,110 new-build social homes delivered in 2023. It is the first time that the delivery of social and affordable housing has gone backwards, which is a remarkable but unwelcome milestone. The country has never been wealthier, with plenty of the markers of affluence, such as employment levels, reaching unprecedented heights. Yet, we are building fewer social and affordable houses than we were in previous years. That is not in relative terms — but in raw numbers. Earlier this week, minister for housing James Browne outlined in these pages his plans to speed up the delivery of housing across the country. He stated that he was not interested in 'politics as usual'. Almost immediately afterwards, however, he was dealing with one of the most glaring examples of 'politics as usual' in contemporary Irish life: Trying to explain the inadequacies in the Government's response to the housing crisis. The minister was reported as acknowledging the shortfall in housing figures, but adding that it was not 'as pronounced as may have been feared'. This in itself is a telling indication of where we are now with the housing crisis: It is embarrassing to consider the minister responsible is reduced to saying the failure was not as abject as initially feared. The Government should be able to hit its own social and affordable housing targets. Failure to do so is a searing indictment of its capabilities. What's your view on this issue? You can tell us here Feelgood 25th anniversary Today we mark a special date in the history of the Irish Examiner — it is the 25th anniversary of Feelgood, the health and wellbeing section of the newspaper, and we make no apologies for celebrating one of our own. Feelgood has been an outstanding success in its quarter-century run, thanks to its driving force, editor Irene Feighan. Ever since she took the reins back in 2000, she has ensured that standards in Feelgood's coverage match her own personal example in energy, imagination, and excellence. Over Feelgood's 25 years, it has covered the huge changes in health and wellbeing, from the importance of women's health issues to the significance of legislative changes made in that time period, from vaccination schemes to the pandemic and its consequences, and the growing awareness of mental health issues — and all points in between. True to form, the anniversary edition of Feelgood maintains those high standards and will feature four leading women in medicine who reflect on the progress made in their area — and highlight the work that remains to be done. Little wonder that President Michael D Higgins has congratulated Feelgood on 25 years of covering specific issues that make a difference. Congratulations to Irene and thank you to all the writers and readers who have supported Feelgood over the last quarter of a century.
