Irish Examiner view: Big Tech is thumbing its nose at Coimisiún na Meán

Irish Examiner

25-04-2025

Coimisiún na Meán launched its three-year strategy yesterday, and it is difficult to argue against many of the objectives in its plans.
Ireland's media regulator picked out several areas which need close attention. Safeguarding children from online threats is one, while maintaining the integrity of elections in the face of interference by malign actors is another.
launched its three-year strategy yesterday, and it is difficult to argue against many of the objectives in its plans.
Ireland's media regulator picked out several areas which need close attention.
Safeguarding children from online threats is one, while maintaining the integrity of elections in the face of interference by malign actors is another.
The various dangers posed by artificial intelligence (AI) as well as the regulation of online advertising are other matters under consideration.
All in all, Coimisiún na Meán is not short of challenges, some of which have a tendency to infect each other. At the launch of the organisation's strategy, for instance, its online safety commissioner Niamh Hodnett said that it had already engaged with tech organisations about child abuse images generated by AI.
'We did meet with Open AI — ChatGpt — recently,' said Ms Hodnett.
We discussed concerns in general in relation to online safety, including AI-generated CSAM [child sexual abuse material], and we would meet with all the platforms in this regard to highlight our concerns.'
It is disheartening to consider that Coimisiún na Meán's good intentions are not matched by its powers.
Those seem impressive at first — it can impose fines of up to 6% of a company's turnover, or €20m, whichever is greater, but that needs to be seen in context.
Just this week, the European Commission fined Apple €500m and Meta €200m for breaches of the EU's digital competition rules, amounts which are staggering to contemplate for mere mortals — but which will hardly cause a ripple in those firms' end-of-year accounts.
It would be encouraging to report unequivocal support and co-operation from tech firms when it comes to the significant issues being raised by Coimisiún na Meán, but the regulatory body reported yesterday that it is already dealing with 'pushback' from some firms operating in this area.
This is a polite way of saying those firms are thumbing their noses at the State's official regulator, which is an accurate representation of the balance of power here — and an indication of the challenges facing Coimisiún na Meán.
Housing targets missed
The Department of Housing published figures this week on the Government's social housing targets, and they do not make good reading.
The figures show that not only has the Government missed its 2024 social and affordable housing targets, it delivered fewer homes last year than it did in 2023.
The Department of Housing reported that there were 7,871 new-build social homes constructed in 2024, over 1,400 homes below the target of 9,300 new builds the Government pledged in its housing for all plan. That 2024 number also falls well short of the 8,110 new-build social homes delivered in 2023.
It is the first time that the delivery of social and affordable housing has gone backwards, which is a remarkable but unwelcome milestone.
The country has never been wealthier, with plenty of the markers of affluence, such as employment levels, reaching unprecedented heights. Yet, we are building fewer social and affordable houses than we were in previous years. That is not in relative terms — but in raw numbers.
Earlier this week, minister for housing James Browne outlined in these pages his plans to speed up the delivery of housing across the country. He stated that he was not interested in 'politics as usual'.
Almost immediately afterwards, however, he was dealing with one of the most glaring examples of 'politics as usual' in contemporary Irish life: Trying to explain the inadequacies in the Government's response to the housing crisis.
The minister was reported as acknowledging the shortfall in housing figures, but adding that it was not 'as pronounced as may have been feared'. This in itself is a telling indication of where we are now with the housing crisis: It is embarrassing to consider the minister responsible is reduced to saying the failure was not as abject as initially feared.
The Government should be able to hit its own social and affordable housing targets. Failure to do so is a searing indictment of its capabilities.
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Feelgood 25th anniversary
Today we mark a special date in the history of the Irish Examiner — it is the 25th anniversary of Feelgood, the health and wellbeing section of the newspaper, and we make no apologies for celebrating one of our own.
Feelgood has been an outstanding success in its quarter-century run, thanks to its driving force, editor Irene Feighan. Ever since she took the reins back in 2000, she has ensured that standards in Feelgood's coverage match her own personal example in energy, imagination, and excellence.
Over Feelgood's 25 years, it has covered the huge changes in health and wellbeing, from the importance of women's health issues to the significance of legislative changes made in that time period, from vaccination schemes to the pandemic and its consequences, and the growing awareness of mental health issues — and all points in between.
True to form, the anniversary edition of Feelgood maintains those high standards and will feature four leading women in medicine who reflect on the progress made in their area — and highlight the work that remains to be done.
Little wonder that President Michael D Higgins has congratulated Feelgood on 25 years of covering specific issues that make a difference. Congratulations to Irene and thank you to all the writers and readers who have supported Feelgood over the last quarter of a century.