Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 13 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)

Mr. John Church:

That is an interesting question. I am also a member of the national advisory committee for online safety, which is Government appointed. Our belief certainly is that we are better off having the tech giants, the platforms and industry around the table so that we can have open conversations. As much as we want to talk to them, they want to talk to us - perhaps ticking the box to show they are doing what they can. Ultimately, we believe that certain private shareholder-value-driven organisations do not put child safety first; they put the shareholder first. Ultimately, as it does today, this boils down to the child. Our responsibility is to protect the child. We commend some of the stuff they are doing, but it is just not good enough. It is merely the tip of the iceberg. With the sort of money the tech giants are making, it should be possible to protect children.