Category: Digital Services

Coimisiún na Meán is aware that the European Commission has initiated formal proceedings against Tik Tok for possible breaches of the Digital Services Act (DSA). Coimisiún na Meán will provide assistance to the European Commission in this investigation.

Coimisiún na Meán is Ireland’s body for regulating broadcasters, on-demand services, and online media, and supporting media development. On Saturday last (17.02.2024) An Coimisiún welcomed the application of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) which is now fully in force in Ireland. The DSA provides new rules for how online services deal with illegal content or apply their own rules.

Under the DSA, the responsibility for supervising Very Large Online Platforms and Search Engines is shared between the European Commission and the regulator of the EU Member State where the service has its EU headquarters. Thirteen out of twenty two Very Large Online Platforms and Search Engines designated so far, including Tik Tok, have their EU headquarters in Ireland.

Coimisiún na Meán is working closely with the European Commission and other European regulators and today (19.02.2024) attended the inaugural meeting of the European Digital Services Board. The European Board for Digital Services Board is an independent advisory group formed by the European Commission and Member State Digital Service Coordinators, to ensure that the DSA is applied consistently, and that users across the EU enjoy the same rights, regardless of where the online platforms are established.

The Board will be consulted on the enforcement of the DSA and advise on arising issues related to the DSA and can contribute to guidelines and analysis. It will also assist in the supervision of Very Large Online Platforms and Very Large Online Search Engines and will issue yearly reports on the prominent systemic risks and best practices in mitigating them.

New EU rules will apply to online services from the 17^th of February 2024.

Coimisiún na Meán, Ireland’s body for regulating broadcasters, on-demand services, and online media, and supporting media development, has today (16.02.2023) welcomed the imminent application of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) which comes fully into force in Ireland and across the EU from tomorrow (17.02.2024). The DSA provides new rules for how online services deal with illegal content or apply their own rules.

The DSA, Online Safety and Media Regulation (OSMR) Act 2022 and the EU Terrorist Content Online Regulation (TCOR) come together to form Coimisiún na Meán’s overall Online Safety Framework. This Framework will make digital services accountable for how they protect people, especially children, from harm online and will be used to enforce rules about how online services deal with illegal or harmful content.

Coimisiún na Meán will open its user contact centre on February 19^th 2024.The contact centre will provide advice to users on their rights under the Digital Services Act and gather intelligence that will inform An Coimisiún’s supervisory and enforcement activities. When users spot illegal content online, they should flag it to the platform, and the platform will have a duty to stop it.

Commenting, Executive Chairperson of Coimisiún na Meán, Jeremy Godfrey said: “The DSA will form a key part of Coimisiún na Meán’s Online Safety Framework. We will enforce the DSA, so that platforms are accountable for protecting users online, minimising children’s exposure to harmful content and upholding fundamental rights, including freedom of expression.”  

In addition, the DSA provides a framework for cooperation between the EU Commission and national regulatory authorities across Europe. Coimisiún na Meán is responsible for regulating services which have their EU headquarters in Ireland, and the European Commission plays a role in overseeing the largest platforms and search engines.

The Digital Service Commissioner John Evans said: “The DSA will empower people and civil society groups to hold platforms to account for dealing with illegal content. People should remember when they spot illegal content, to flag it, so the platform can stop it. We will engage with platforms large and small to ensure that they live up to their legal obligations. As Ireland’s Digital Services Coordinator, we look forward to working closely with the European Commission and our regulatory counterparts across Europe to ensure that these new rules drive improvements in online safety and ensure that people can continue to enjoy the benefits of being online.”