logo
Social media sites have no age verification process as new crackdown launches

Social media sites have no age verification process as new crackdown launches

Four major social media sites did not have age-verification controls in place on the first day of a new crackdown in Ireland.
From Monday, July 21, new online safety rules came into effect requiring video-sharing platforms that have their EU headquarters in Ireland to have effective age verification systems in place where adult content can be accessed.
However, the Irish Mirror was able to open new accounts as an adult on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X without any verification. Each site simply asked to input a date of birth that a child could easily lie about.
This is despite Coimisiún na Meán stressing that self-declaration is not permitted as a method of age verification.
The account was able to access pornographic content on X as soon as it was created. However, it did have a sensitivity content warning. Adult content was also accessible on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Pornhub also had no age verification in place on Monday. An account is not even needed to watch x-rated content on the site. When a user visits the site, they are simply asked to click a button confirming that they are over the age of 18.
OnlyFans, which hosts pornographic content, also only required an account to be made with self-declaration of age. Under the Online Safety Code, video-sharing platforms that have their EU headquarters in Ireland are legally obliged to protect users from harmful content.
Pornhub and OnlyFans were not on the list of ten platforms that Coimisiún na Meán designated these rules to in December 2024. However, they must liaise with European authorities in the countries where those services are based.
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X were all included in the list. Harmful content could include pornography, violence, cyberbullying, the promotion of self-harm, suicide and eating disorders.
Platforms found in breach of this code could be fined up to €20 million or 10 per cent of turnover, whichever is greater. The law came into effect last year, but companies were given nine months to set up effective practices.
Coimisiún na Meán, which is responsible for enforcing age verification on social media sites, said there isn't one approach to how companies choose to do this. Examples include uploading IDs, facial recognition technology or a cognitive skills test.
However, there have been concerns over how sensitive information used for age verification would be used.
In a statement to the Irish Mirror, Coimisiún na Meán said: "Under Part B of the Online Safety Code, which became effective on July 21, a video-sharing platform service established in Ireland whose terms and conditions permit the uploading or sharing of adult-only video content such as pornography or scenes of gratuitous violence must: have a way for people to rate video content as adult-only content,
provide effective age assurance measures to ensure that children do not normally see such content, and
allow people to report and flag pornography present on the service that hasn't been marked as adult-only video content or otherwise contravenes the service's terms and conditions.
"Video-sharing platforms have had at least nine months to prepare for the introduction of these new rules. We are actively monitoring the steps taken by these platforms to comply with the Online Safety Code and will use all powers and functions at our disposal, including enforcement action, to ensure compliance."
Meta and TikTok have also been contacted for comment.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

North-west outpaces other regions for innovation, according to European Commission ranking
North-west outpaces other regions for innovation, according to European Commission ranking

Irish Independent

time18 minutes ago

  • Irish Independent

North-west outpaces other regions for innovation, according to European Commission ranking

The Commission's latest Regional Innovation Scoreboard evaluates innovation metrics such as R&D expenditure in the private and public sector in each region, how well SMEs collaborate with each other and with researchers at local universities, the products and services created by local SMEs, and employment in knowledge intensive activities. The analysis found that the northern and western region of Ireland generated strong performances this year in areas such as collaboration among innovative SMEs, participation rates in third-level education, broadband connections, studies published in international scientific papers, and cloud computing at enterprises. That's according to John Daly, the economist at the Northern and Western Regional Assembly (NWRA), which is tasked with supporting economic development in the counties of Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan. The NWRA is one of three regional assemblies in Ireland and is also the managing authority for the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in these counties. The scoreboard shows the region's innovation score 'outperforms the likes of the Stuttgart, Catalonia, Prague and Dusseldorf regions,' Mr Daly said. He said one of the main drivers in innovation improvement in the north-west was the opening in 2022 of Atlantic Technological University (ATU), which brought together the former IT Sligo, Letterkenny IT and Galway Mayo IT. ATU 'gave scale to those institutes and enabled them to act as one,' he said. 'The likes of ATU and the University of Galway are rural by nature but now they have more capacity to better link in with neighbouring SMEs, which are increasingly collaborating with each other. It means there's more investment and focus on providing a skills base for the region, and ATU has a remit to undertake more research with private industry.' Every two years, the Commission analyses innovation indicators and categorises each European region into 'innovation leaders', which have the highest score, 'strong innovators', 'moderate innovators' and 'emerging innovators'. The most innovative region in Europe was Stockholm in Sweden. Ireland's only innovation leader is the eastern and midland region, which includes the greater Dublin area. It ranked 28th of the 241 regions examined, acting as Ireland's only 'innovation leader'. However, the northern and western region is just three places short of becoming an innovation leader, Mr Daly said. The results, he said, highlight the importance of growing innovation systems outside of the greater Dublin area.

Trump's deal with Europe sucks for Ireland and what the EU is importing
Trump's deal with Europe sucks for Ireland and what the EU is importing

Irish Daily Mirror

time3 hours ago

  • Irish Daily Mirror

Trump's deal with Europe sucks for Ireland and what the EU is importing

Europe is poised to embrace a surge of American vehicles and energy following Brussels securing an eleventh-hour trade agreement with Donald Trump, barely averting a transatlantic trade war. The pact, revealed on Sunday, means the European Union will now encounter a uniform 15 per cent levy on exports to the United States—cutting in half the 30 per cent rate previously threatened by the former president. In return, Mr Trump stated the EU had consented to eliminate tariffs completely on US goods entering the bloc. Nevertheless, in stark contrast to the EU's negotiations with the UK over Brexit, where complex matters such as implementing trade obstacles across the Irish Sea arose, this time Ireland's interests appear to have been relegated to the lower end of the bloc's priorities. How significant is Trump's agreement with Europe? Under the arrangement, the EU will purchase $750bn (£558bn) of energy from the United States and pledge an additional $600bn in investments into the world's largest economy. "We are agreeing that the tariff straight across for automobiles and everything else will be a tariff of 15pc," said Mr Trump, who has consistently advocated for Europe to purchase more American oil and gas. "We have the opening up of all the European countries, which were essentially closed. You were not exactly taking our autos, you weren't exactly taking our agriculture. Now it is open. "It is open for our companies to go in and do a good job." Europe is set to welcome a wave of American cars and energy after Brussels clinched a deal (Image: Getty) Mr Trump stated the agreement would provide Europeans with enhanced access to US pickup trucks and SUVs, with commerce between the two economies now poised to grow. "They [Europe] are going to make a lot of money with this," he said. "I think everybody is. And it is going to bring a lot of unity and friendship." Financial markets have been rattled in recent months by Mr Trump's fluctuating trade policies, with the tariff standoff generating uncertainty for global investors and governments. What does Trump hope to achieve with his Europe trade deal? Ms von der Leyen said the objective of the agreement was to "rebalance" trade flows between the two sides. "The starting point was an imbalance, a surplus on our side and a deficit on the US side, and we wanted to rebalance that," she said. "We wanted to do it in a way that trade goes on between the two of us, across the Atlantic. "The two biggest economies should have good trade flowing: rebalance, but enable trade on both sides, which means good jobs on both sides of the Atlantic, which means prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic. That was important to us." The agreement excludes steel and aluminium, which will still face higher tariffs of 50 per cent when exported to the US. British exports of the same materials face a reduced tariff of 25 per cent. Bad for Ireland: drugs firms left out of deal This exclusion could prove a major blow to Ireland, which depends heavily on its pharmaceutical exports. "We have to have them made in the US," Mr Trump declared. "We want them made in the US. Pharmaceuticals are very special. "We can't be in a position where we are relying on other countries. Europe is going to make pharmaceuticals, drugs and everything else for us too, a lot, but we are going to make our own." The Irish government has voiced concerns that looming US tariffs could deal a major blow to the country's pharmaceutical sector, which employs around 45,000 people. Ministers are particularly worried about the impact on multinational drug companies based in Ireland, following signals from Washington that the pharmaceutical industry may be the next target in a broader trade clampdown. While the EU's new trade agreement with Donald Trump excluded pharmaceuticals from immediate tariff hikes, the US has made clear that it still plans to address the sector in separate talks. Claus Vistesen, from Pantheon Macroeconomics, stated that the agreed 15 per cent tariff was less severe than many feared, and unlikely to alarm financial markets-but he warned it would still dent both the EU and US economies. "Trump is finding a middle ground," Mr Vistesen commented. "He is still shooting himself in the foot. US consumers will pay higher prices, and growth in trading partners will be lower than it would have otherwise been."

Tariffs aren't good news but it could have been much worse
Tariffs aren't good news but it could have been much worse

RTÉ News​

time6 hours ago

  • RTÉ News​

Tariffs aren't good news but it could have been much worse

While the crucial US EU trade deal announced this weekend does bring certainty for businesses, there are significant drawbacks. Fundamentally, tariffs are negative for trade. The US is a significant export market for Ireland, and many sectors now face duties of 15% which did not exist last year. The biggest issue is pharmaceuticals, which are the largest Irish export to the US, valued at €44bn in 2024. In recent months US President Donald Trump had threatened enormous duties on drugs imported by America. He had ordered a national security investigation of the pharmaceutical sector. Last night, Tánaiste Simon Harris said his understanding was that after the investigation concludes the maximum tariff which could be imposed would be 15%. So, while the threat of more damaging duties is averted, pharmaceuticals made in Ireland may well face 15% tariffs in future, up from zero at present. Another key sector for Ireland is the manufacture of computer chips. Like pharmaceuticals it has been subject to a separate investigation by the Trump administration and faced the possibility of punitive tariffs, but it too could face a 15% tariff after the investigation ends. Last night, European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen said there was no decision yet regarding spirits exported to the US. This is critically important to Ireland's whiskey industry which has already seen several recent closures. There had been speculation that sector could have been part of a zero-for-zero tariff arrangement, but that is not yet agreed. Another important area for Ireland is aircraft leasing. Ms Von Der Leyen said last night that aviation would be part of a tariff-free arrangement. For other EU countries the massive duty of 27.5% which was imposed on European cars now falls to 15%. Some existing tariffs will be folded into that baseline 15%, meaning it would be an all-in tariff. For example, it is expected to include the existing "most favoured nation" duties of 4.8% which exist currently under World Trade Organization rules. The fact there is a deal at all avoids the threat of a prolonged tit-for-tat trade war. It means businesses can plan, investments can be made, and job-creating projects can proceed. But exporters are already seeking Government support as they navigate the new reality of the Trump administration's tariffs. The EU-US agreement is not a trade deal in the usual sense. Normally these pacts are negotiated over years and culminate in a document running to hundreds of pages. What was announced yesterday was the framework of a deal with much detail yet to be finalised. Yesterday wasn't the end of the negotiations, but it was a milestone.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store