Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy mentioned the issue of CCTV, which is not quite ubiquitous, but is very commonly present in buildings and on our streets. CCTV is a force for good. It deters crime and enables us to prosecute criminals where crime takes place. It is regulated by law. For example, the Garda Síochána Act 2005 regulates both Garda CCTV and community CCTV in public areas. I know Deputies are familiar with the protections offered by the data protection law over the use of these images. The Data Protection Commission has released guidance, which is available on its website, on CCTV and data protection. It is currently conducting an audit of the practice, operation and governance of CCTV as part of a wider inquiry into surveillance through the use of technologies for law enforcement purposes.

I agree that social media companies can do more in this space. If explicit images are being shared on their platforms, they can do more to prevent them being uploaded in the first place and if they are uploaded, prevent them from being distributed afterwards. Facebook often comes in for criticism. However, Facebook seems to be more effective than other platforms in ensuring that sexual images do not appear on Facebook or at least rarely appear on Facebook. Other platforms could do more in this space.

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