Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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39. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her Department's role in monitoring and ensuring that social media platforms are not being used to amplify and enable hate groups to orchestrate campaigns around the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44147/23]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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In March 2023 I commenced the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022 and in doing so, formally established Coimisiún na Meán. An Coimisiún is the independent regulator responsible for the enforcement of a new regulatory framework for online safety to protect people, particularly children, from some of the most serious forms of harmful online content.

On establishment, I met with the Executive Chairperson and Commissioners and emphasised the importance of the timely development and enforcement of online safety codes. It is through the codes that an Coimisiún will tackle, among other things, the availability of online content related to existing offences around hate speech and the publication or sending of threatening or offensive communications.

In June 2023, an Coimisiún published its work programme, which targets the adoption of the first online safety code, applying to video-sharing platform services, by the end of this year.

Government has also decided to designate an Coimisiún na Meán as Ireland's Digital Services Coordinator for the purposes of the implementation of the EU Digital Services Act. Work is on-going by my colleague the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to give operational and legislative effect to that decision and a Digital Services Commissioner has already been appointed to An Coimisiún. The DSA introduces new EU wide rules requiring online services to tackle the availability of illegal content on their services, which will be enforced by the European Commission assisted by a network of regulators in each member state, including an Coimisiún.