Taoiseach warns impending codes of conduct will hit social media firms 'where it hurts'

Binding codes of conduct will be put in place later this year that will hold the directors of social media companies personally responsible if the platforms do not abide by Irish laws. File photo

Ireland will hit social media companies "where it hurts" if they fail to take responsibility for threatening and harmful content on their platforms, the Taoiseach has warned.

Binding codes of conduct will be put in place later this year that will hold the directors of social media companies personally responsible if the platforms do not abide by Irish laws.

"If you don't comply with that we are going to hit you where it hurts, with very, very significant fines that can run into tens of millions of euros," Taoiseach Simon Harris said. "In addition to that, we need to make sure through that code that individuals within those companies can be held to account."

He strongly denied that some companies might receive special treatment due to the number of jobs they provide in Ireland or the amount of corporation tax they pay.

"If anybody, in any social media company, is dining out on, or thinking that somehow or other, Ireland won't be robust in relation to this, they are about to find out just how extraordinarily wrong they are," Mr Harris added.

The safety codes and practices, once agreed, will be enforced by both An Garda Síochána and Coimisiún na Meán, Ireland's newly established media regulator. The era of self-regulation of social media companies is well and truly over, Mr Harris said.

What's your view on this issue?

You can tell us here

He vowed to bring in binding codes, financial sanctions, and personal liabilities for social media executives, adding that it "can't come quick enough". "Social media does not get to absolve itself," said Mr Harris, it must operate within the norms just as every other sector.

Following the latest threat made against the Taoiseach and his family online, Mr Harris said it is unacceptable that any platform would allow a threat against any individual to remain online for a significant period of time.

Despite requests from An Garda Síochána, the threat, which was published to Instagram over the weekend, remained visible online for two days.

There is a responsibility on digital media providers to act quickly in these cases; as long as the posts remain available online they will continue to be shared hundreds, or thousands, of times, Mr Harris said.

Riots

The rapid pace with which posts inciting violence against another individual or group of people can spread online is a cause of significant concern. If the information in a social media post is wrong, dangerous, or inciting hatred, it can have significant real-life consequences and these can not be viewed as small or trivial matters, he added.

The consequences of this can be very significant and can lead to incidents of social unrest, the Taoiseach said, referencing the riots that have spread across the UK and Northern Ireland in recent days. Social media platforms have come under fire in the wake of the violent gatherings in Belfast and England, many of which have been organised online.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin said that the violence stems from "mindless, ill-informed stuff" facilitated by social media platforms, explicitly calling out X, formerly known as Twitter. A police source in the UK has said: "A lot of what we're seeing is locals reacting to what they're seeing on social media."

Mr Harris acknowledged that there are a small number of bad actors who are very vocal on all social media platforms and are seeking to whip up fear and frenzy. These people are traveling across Ireland engaging in behaviour that puts people's lives and properties at risk, he said.

When these people find themselves before the courts, Mr Harris said the people of Ireland will remember their names and faces and they will be remembered as someone who "hijacked our flag" and brought it into the shameful and disgraceful activities in Belfast.