Complaints system for removal of online content 'won't be available for two years'

Minister Catherine Martin says it will be 2024 before real progress can be made on Coimisiún na Meán. Picture: Eamon Ward

A complaints system for people who are unsuccessful in getting content removed from social media sites will not be up and running for at least another two years, the minister with jurisdiction over the media has said.

Catherine Martin, Green Party TD and Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport, and Media said that the long-promised online safety regulator — Coimisiún na Meán — must first be put in place before a complaints mechanism can be established. Hiring for the new commission is currently underway and legislation is going through the Oireachtas.