Social media sites have no age verification process as new crackdown launches
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
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
39 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Ireland faces 15% tariff reality as EU-US deal takes shape
The EU and US are edging closer to a trade deal revolving around tariffs of 15% imposed on European goods. The details of any agreement will be critical. Recent discussions have come close to an agreement only to be derailed at the last minute by the White House - and that could happen again. Based on what is known so far, the EU-US deal would include a baseline tariff of 15%. Some existing tariffs would be folded into that 15% meaning it would be an all-in tariff. For example, it would include the existing "most favoured nation" duties of 4.8% which exist currently under World Trade Organisation rules. However, there would be some exceptions. The punitive 50% rate on steel and aluminum, introduced by US President Donald Trump on exports from the EU, would remain in place. It is understood that what may emerge is an agreement between the two sides that sees the threatened 1 August cliff edge of 30% tariffs on EU goods removed. It is now long past time to strike a deal. Tánaiste Simon Harris says he remains "cautiously optimistic" a deal could be reached for a "positive future EU-US trading relationship within the coming days". He adds: "It is now long past time to strike a deal." Under the framework, which is being negotiated, the US would have some immediate implementation steps, but some aspects would still need further negotiations. In a boost for Irish exporters, it is expected aircraft, medical devices and spirits would be covered by a zero for zero tariff arrangement. The critical part for Ireland is what would happen to exports of pharmaceuticals and computer chips to the US. At present, there are no tariffs on either sector while the US holds an investigation on national security grounds into imports of those goods. However, indications are that the investigation may result in the EU seeing a 15% tariff imposed on both pharmaceuticals and computer chips once the process concludes. If that rate is introduced, it would have significant consequences. Pharmaceuticals are Ireland's biggest export to the US and were valued at €44bn last year. Any company faced with a new tariff is going to have to figure out how it will be paid. Exporters will be asking whether they can make internal savings, adjust supply chains or pass it on to customers? Donald Trump told Taoiseach Micheál Martin on St Patrick's Day that Ireland "took" American pharmaceutical companies. But despite Mr Trump's comments, no US drug manufacturer with an operation in Ireland has so far threatened to relocate to America. The baseline tariff of 15% for many companies would have significant effects. Simon McKeever, CEO of the Irish Exporters Association, said his organisation would be looking for a "tariff adjustment fund" largely based on the Brexit Reserve Fund of €1bn, which was introduced to help companies when the UK left the EU. While there may be relief if a deal is agreed it would be a much worse trading environment than Irish companies faced last year. Tariffs are fundamentally bad for an export-led economy such as Ireland. Globally, the removal of trade barriers over recent decades has lifted millions of people in developing countries out of poverty. But perhaps the most damaging aspect of the trade war is that it has created enormous uncertainty and put many investments on hold in Ireland and elsewhere. If a deal is agreed companies will know the future landscape. And that is likely to unlock investments which had been put on hold.
Irish Examiner
7 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner view: The best ancient advice in the world
You don't need a whole slew of professional qualifications to be an influencer. A certain native charm is helpful; good looks can always go down well with the easily-impressed; a way with words is an obvious advantage as is the ability to put together a convincing video roll. Building a reputation for expert and inside knowledge is key to the enterprise. Influencer marketing is an activity which was barely known a decade ago and its impact was accelerated by the explosive growth of social media and during lockdown when many of us had more time on our hands than was good for us. We are a country which has become wedded to social networks with up to three quarters of our population owning one or more accounts. Modash, an influencer marketing and analysis agency, headquartered in Estonia, says it has found 12,032 Irish Instagram influencers with up to 500,000 followers and the majority of their audience in Ireland. For a fee it will analyse every creator not only on this platform but also on YouTube and TikTok. Citizens may enter this bewildering landscape for a whole host of reasons, and many may be wholly harmless. A search for the best way to make falafel for example, or guidance on how to knit a plaited stitch; or directions to the best beaches in Galicia. But there are other subjects on which it is best to rely on a phrase which preceded the arrival of the internet by nearly 3,000 years. 'Caveat Emptor' — buyer beware. Medical advice certainly falls into this category. It's quite easy to find GPs who will tell you hair-raising stories about patients who arrive in their surgeries having carried out comprehensive search engine diagnoses of their symptoms and seeking sign-off and confirmation of their ailments and maladies. And the other topic where caution is required is, of course, financial information, where the Central Bank of Ireland has reissued advice to consumers that if they deal with an unauthorised firm then there is no recourse to statutory compensation schemes or the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman. 'Consumers are advised to check the official Central Bank website to see if the firm is authorised by the Central Bank' its statement to the Irish Examiner says. Mr Finlay, who has 260,000 followers on Instagram and 586,000 on TikTok, has built a reputation in recent years by posting food reviews and luxury lifestyle content. He frequently shares photos and videos of himself on first-class flights, at Premier League matches, and on holidays in Dubai. He also runs several channels on instant messaging app Telegram, which are focused on making money on T4Trade. He suggests that people copy his trades. The platform carries a disclaimer that it is not targeted to residents of the EU where it is not registered Mr Finlay says he charges €1,000 for access to a VIP channel which is owned and operated by him, but regularly allows small groups of people to enter 'free of charge,' for limited amounts of time, encouraging people to join quickly before access to the group closes. In historical terms, we are in the early days of trading and commerce on the internet and there are many lessons which still have to be learned. But as with any activity taking place on a new frontier, it is sensible to be cautious. It may not make you a fortune, but it can protect you from crushing disappointment. Or to quote T4Trade's own website: 'Our products are traded on margin and carry a high level of risk and it is possible to lose all your capital.' Old wild men have left the stage this week It has been, we must acknowledge, a bad week for old wild men. First the curtain came down on Ozzy Osbourne, 76, the founding father of the metalheads, whose last concert at Villa Park a couple of weeks previously was recalled by an Irish Examiner writer who proclaimed it as 'not just a celebration of music and legacy, but of life itself'. The self-styled Prince of Darkness nearly sacrificed his life on several occasions to excesses of various types but earned a place in people's hearts through his endearing MTV reality show, The Osbournes, which reached way beyond the aficionados of thrash metal. On the same day, a different kind of rugged hero departed with the passing of Joey Jones, stalwart of Liverpool, Wrexham, and Chelsea whose fist-pumping exhortations to fans were a familiar scene at soccer grounds across Europe in the 1970s and 80s. Jones, 70, born in a North Wales council house, was a rampaging left-sided defender whose never-say-die attitude won the hearts of those on the terraces. Hulk Hogan, who died on Thursday, was for more than a decade the ubiquitous face of wrestling bringing WWE to prominence with theatrical performances and a dominating physique. Hogan, who acknowledged that he took steroids, stood at 6ft 7in and weighed 145kg. His appearance was set off by a droopy blonde moustache and a T-shirt that he liked to rip open at the height of his exuberance. Hogan, 71, died from apparent cardiac arrest. In later years he was a voluble supporter of US president Donald Trump who counted 'the Hulkster' as a personal friend. There will be an opinion that men aren't made like this anymore but whether it's a snatch of the opening riff of 'Paranoid', a recollection of the famous 'Munching Gladbach' banner, or a highly colourful bandana, they will stay in our collective memories for the forseeable. Fair deal for cancer survivors is overdue There are few things more powerful than an idea whose time seems to have come. The concept that age is no barrier; changes to abortion law; elective death; reform of drug laws. To this we can add the proposition that for too long cancer survivors in Ireland have been discriminated against by the providers of financial services, with many struggling to obtain products such as mortgage protection and travel cover. For many years, the Irish Cancer Society has been campaigning for what it describes as 'the right to be forgotten', which means that there will be no obligation to disclose a previous diagnosis more than five years after active treatment has been concluded. Anyone who has filled in an insurance application form will be aware that there are requirements to declare any previous medical conditions, the inclusion of which can add, often considerably, to the premium charged or refusal to provide a policy. Failure to provide such details can result in policies being declared null and void. But change is afoot and legislation is now expected to be passed by the Oireachtas this autumn. It was first introduced in the Seanad by then Fianna Fáil senator Catherine Ardagh in October 2022, and was reintroduced by her as a TD in the Dáil in February. Now it has been taken up by the Government, whose junior finance minister Robert Troy — who has lost two siblings to the disease — describes the situation as 'challenging and unfair'. The Central Bank (Amendment) Bill will give statutory weight to what was previously a voluntary code of practice, which was not universally adopted, and will bring Ireland into line with laws which are already in place in France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Under existing guidelines, a survivor can access mortgage protection after seven years of remission or five years if individuals were diagnosed when under the age of 18. While the proposed new law does not cover travel insurance this will be a logical next step for campaigners. The Government, says Mr Troy, has focussed first on 'where the need is greatest and where there is the clearest evidence base'. Removing the uncertainty around house purchase is certainly a priority, but there is an equivalent value emotionally of liberating people from being defined by the most difficult chapter of their lives. Loss adjustors and risk assessors will, no doubt, point to the costs. It is their job to do so. But the rest of us may consider that, in a country where hundreds of thousands of people have been visited by cancer, it is a price worth bearing. Read More Irish Examiner view: Rural communities are losing their light
Irish Examiner
7 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
My Life: I'll never forget a bare-bottomed bank robber's escape from CUH
'HE'S gone, he's gone.' A pyjama-clad gent gesticulated wildly, piercing the silence of a normally uneventful post-surgical ward. He was markedly alarmed, as was this student nurse. It's not every day you have a patient escape during your shift. To add salt to open (post-surgical) wounds, this wasn't just any patient. Just hours before, this wanted man had undergone surgery for an open fracture to his leg, which he sustained while attempting to outrun Gardaí. Fortunately, for him, his next escape — albeit short-lived — would be more successful. All the while, we had no idea our controversial hero had been surreptitiously knotting bed sheets together for his grand exit. His leap from the hospital window was enough to make Hollywood stuntmen swoon. I'll never forget the view that greeted us as we stared incredulously from the hospital window. The defiant sight of him hopping onto the back of a motorbike will be forever ingrained in my mind. His hospital gown was blowing like grass in a storm. He seemed completely unaware of the faces gazing down at him from above. It was the early 90s so there wasn't a camera phone in sight to capture this defining moment. That image of him riding away, bare-assed to the wind, won't be found on Facebook. It exists now only in our memories. The calm atmosphere on the ward that night gave way to chaos. I was only about 24 at the time so my first instinct was to laugh uncontrollably. The face of the senior nurse on the other hand was etched with terror. I always loved being on with her because she was such a fabulous and deeply conscientious person. She was so deeply conscientious, in fact, that the worry was all-consuming for her. He had tubes coming out of him, which would have fallen out on the motorbike. His injuries required urgent care, but he had left with nothing but a hospital gown. The atmosphere turned heavy. There were gardaí coming to take statements and reports. While our patient was making the most of his freedom, there was no escape for us. News coverage of the manhunt beamed through television screens across the country. Every tabloid featured details of this salacious tale. Artist Úna Keating at her studio in Crookstown, Co. Cork. Picture: David Creedon I don't think there was anything I could have done to foil his escape. For the most part, he had been surrounded by gardaí, but there came a point where they had to leave. I had been asked to keep an eye on him but this wasn't a possibility. His care was my priority but there was no way I could have managed a flight risk too. There were still other patients to tend to after all. In the hours that followed the escape, we waited with bated breath for news of his whereabouts. It was about two days — definitely more than 24 hours — before he was located. We didn't see him again after that. I can only assume his treatment was completed in a more 'secure unit'. It was business as usual after that and the incident went unmentioned. Years rolled by before I bumped into the senior nurse I had been on with that night. We howled with laughter at the memory of his bare bottom. When viewed through a modern lens, it's remarkable to think that the escape was coordinated without mobile phones or technology of any kind. I wouldn't go as far as to say the stunt was admirable, but it was certainly impressive. I often think about where this gentleman might have ended up. My life, after all, took a very different turn. I'm no longer nursing and have now carved out a career as an artist. The possibility that he may have changed his own life for the better fills me with hope. He was only in his 20s at the time, so who knows where he is now? Perhaps, he became a teacher or maybe even a priest. We can only wish the same for his get-away driver. When I cast my mind back to that peculiar night, I laugh to myself because this man was among the easier patients I dealt with. He was quiet post-op, as many patients are. I don't remember him laughing and joking but he was polite. We came across a lot nastier from the public, but funnily enough it was never the criminals. Luckily, 99% of patients are wonderful. Our night with this patient was undoubtedly the most adrenaline-filled night in the post-surgical ward. For the most part, the atmosphere in this part of the hospital was very subdued. I myself became accustomed to a faster pace after transitioning into emergency care where I spent 15 years. Here, I met a whole host of colourful characters including a lovely lady in her 90s who was accidentally thrown out of a dumper truck after her 100-year-old husband pressed the wrong button. 'I was cleaning the gutters,' she told me. Thankfully, she was fine. I couldn't help but laugh at the way she regaled me with the story. From escapees to old ladies, there is one thing that nursing has taught me. Laughter is always, most certainly, the best medicine.
