Mr. John Church:

I would like to add to what has been said. I could not disagree with anything that Ms Counihan and Deputy O'Callaghan have said thus far. The right to privacy is definitely an issue but as I said earlier to Deputy Brophy, the platforms are putting a lot of money and resources into this area. I met representatives of Facebook recently. That company employs approximately 30,000 people worldwide whose sole job is to take down inappropriate images. Recently I read that something like 2.6 million inappropriate images were removed in one quarter, that is, in a three month period. As I said earlier, these platforms were not set up to protect children. They were set up to make a profit and while they are extremely beneficial to many people and add to effective communications, we would not let our road network run riot, with no lines in the middle of the road, no rules and no traffic lights but we are letting the equivalent happen with the internet. Let us be clear, the ISPCC is not seeking to shut down the internet. We talk to children every day and we know that the vast majority of both children and adults view the internet as extremely beneficial. My own children use it every day to study for exams. It is extremely beneficial but as with roads, which are also very beneficial, we need laws and rules. The only way to do this is to have a proper regulator with teeth. In the context of all other forms of media, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland is a potential home for an e-safety commissioner for Ireland, if only to send out a message to the platforms that they are being watched.