Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 12 May 2021

Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht

General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed)

Photo of Imelda MunsterImelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In relation to Dr. Karen McAuley's points, Professor O'Mahony stated that the single biggest weakness in the Bill was the lack of an individual complaints mechanism.

Two weeks ago, representatives from the BAI and the Data Protection Commission appeared before the committee. They flagged the lack of resources. The option at the moment is to hold platforms accountable. It has been done in Australia, so it is possible. The idea is for us to take our time with this Bill to ensure it is fit for purpose and that it covers as many aspects as possible. That is what we want it to do. I am sure the witnesses would agree that fundamental to that is having sufficient resources. Would they agree with Professor O'Mahony that that would be the single biggest weakness if we want to have accountability and oversight of all this? Not having the option of an individual complaints mechanism automatically weakens the Bill from the get-go.

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