Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Following the passing of the OSMR Bill, we had to set up Coimisiún na Meán and fund its operation. I visited the commission recently and it is a strong working regulator with a large team.

In May, an coimisiún published a revised draft online safety code. At the end of August, it completed its consultation process with the European Commission. Coimisiún na Meán intends to finalise and adopt the code shortly. The draft code is a milestone that sets out the actions that the video-sharing platforms I mentioned must take to protect users, particularly young ones. For example, it contains obligations around age verification and requirements to operate user-friendly reporting and complaints mechanisms. Many of these obligations stem from the EU’s revised audiovisual media services directive and, as such, apply across the EU. Failure to comply with the code can lead to the imposition of significant financial sanctions of up to €20 million or 10% of the company’s turnover. Continued non-compliance can lead to criminal sanctions for senior managers.

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