Ireland’s tech regulators and gardaí to brief Ministers on improving online safety

Ireland’s tech regulators and representatives of the Garda will on Thursday brief Taoiseach Simon Harris and several senior Ministers on efforts to improve online safety.
The meeting is said to be aimed at ensuring a collective focus across Government on the effective implementation of a new Online Safety Framework.
Coimisiún na Meán (the Media Commission), the Data Protection Commission, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, ComReg and An Comisiún Toghcháin (the Electoral Commission) will all attend the first summit of its kind to be hosted by the Department of the Taoiseach.
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In advance of the summit, Mr Harris said: “We find ourselves at an important juncture in terms of regulating the digital world.
“We have an opportunity now to make a difference and ensure we get this right, in particular, for more vulnerable users such as children and young people.
“I want to make sure that there’s a very clear legal understanding in Ireland and across the European Union that the online world does not operate in some sort of parallel universe.
“The obligations that apply offline in terms of abiding by the laws of the land also need to apply online.”
He said the upcoming new Online Safety Code and the Digital Services Act were “significant tools at our disposal” and “We must now make sure we are using these effectively.”
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Minister for Media Catherine Martin said Coimisiún na Meán had a central role in developing and enforcing a new Online Safety Framework, including a new Online Safety Code, which it planned to adopt in October.
She described this as “an important milestone in addressing illegal and harmful online content and behaviour, including the exposure of children to harmful content”.
Separately, Minister for Children and Equality Roderic O’Gorman briefed Cabinet on new childminding regulations which will come into force on September 30th.
The regulations will see childminders regulated by Tusla while parents who use them will be able to avail of National Childcare Scheme subsidies.
[ Roblox and YouTube main sources of online content which ‘bothered or upset’ primary school children – reportOpens in new window ]
There will be a three-year lead-in period to give childminders time to meet the requirements under the regulations.
Also at Cabinet, Mr O’Gorman recommended the appointment of Liam Herrick as chief commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC).
Mr Herrick has most recently worked as executive director of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and he was previously an adviser to President Michael D Higgins.
Government chief whip Hildegarde Naughton updated Ministers on the autumn legislative programme with 29 Bills prioritised for publication and 32 for drafting in the new Dáil session.
She said the drafting of the Life Sentences Bill would progress during the new Dáil term and this law was being developed to allow judges to recommend a minimum period to be served in custody before a person was released on parole.
The Government is also to prioritise the publication of a Bill that will remove the ability of employers to force workers to retire once they reach State pension age.