The Irish Times view on X's court defeat: the conflict will continue
Ireland's Online Safety Code, enforced by Coimisiún na Meán, requires platforms to shield children from harmful video content, introduce age checks and parental controls, and prevent the sharing of material that promotes self-harm, eating disorders or bullying. The court ruled these measures fall within the EU's Audiovisual Media Services Directive and complement the Digital Services Act, dismissing X's claims of overreach.
That finding may seem straightforward from a European perspective. The EU has long sought to assert that technology companies must respect European standards if they wish to operate here. But the US views such measures through a different lens, shaped by its dominance in the tech sector and a political culture that prizes free expression in almost absolute terms.
The commercial stakes are immense. The global tech services market is overwhelmingly dominated by American firms: Meta, Google, Apple and Amazon. EU regulation is therefore not just a neutral exercise in public protection but, inevitably, a rebalancing of power between the jurisdictions where these companies are based and the markets in which they operate. That tension is heightened by the fact that Ireland is home to the European headquarters of many of these firms, making it the front line in this conflict.
READ MORE
In Washington, the issues are often couched in the language of principle. Conservative figures such as JD Vance have been vocal in their defence of unfettered online speech, casting regulation as censorship. Such arguments, while grounded in America's First Amendment tradition, also align neatly with the commercial interests of the companies whose revenues depend on maximising user engagement. The defence of principle and the defence of profit are intertwined.
The ruling against X will not end these disputes. The tech industry's legal resources are vast, and its political allies influential. But it confirms that Ireland, acting within the EU framework, has the authority to challenge the ethos of the platforms it hosts. That will not be welcomed in boardrooms in California or on Capitol Hill.
As the digital economy becomes a key arena of US-EU competition, Ireland's decisions will be read not only as regulatory acts but as statements about where power lies in the online world. Tuesday's judgment suggests that, at least for now, that power may be shifting.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
22 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Netanyahu expected to convene security cabinet meeting
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to convene a meeting of his security cabinet later today, amid reports he is preparing to order a full military occupation of Gaza. The proposals have been sharply criticised by the United Nations and aid groups. They are also facing opposition from within Israel, with reports that some military leaders are against any such escalation, while families of Israeli hostages fear it will put the lives of their loved ones at risk. It comes as an EU assessment found significant obstructive factors are undermining humanitarian operations in Gaza. The EU's foreign policy and humanitarian arms updated member countries late last night on the status of an agreement reached with Israel last month on boosting humanitarian access to Gaza. An EU official said late last night that there were some positive developments regarding fuel delivery, the reopening of some routes, and an upward trend in the number of daily trucks entering the enclave and the repair of some vital infrastructure. However, the official added that "significant obstructive factors continue to undermine humanitarian operations and aid delivery to Gaza, notably the lack of a safe operating environment to allow the distribution of aid at scale." The Israeli government is under growing pressure to bring the war in Gaza to an end, with concern mounting after the United Nations warned that famine was unfolding in the territory of more than two million Palestinians. The October 2023 attack by Hamas that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, the majority of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas's 2023 attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. The Israeli offensive has killed at least 61,158 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Gaza health ministry, which are considered reliable by the United Nations.
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
The future of pocket money? NestiFi lets families invest together for kids
Traditional banking has – eventually – adopted innovations such as digital-only accounts and smartphone payments. However, some elements of the financial infrastructure are still firmly stuck in the past, as anyone who has tried to gift money to a child in forms other than cash or vouchers will have discovered. Having run across this problem himself, Niall Dennehy began mulling over a possible solution. He applied his background in banking, telecoms and digital payments, and in June this year launched NestiFi, an AI -powered investment platform allowing parents, grandparents, relatives and friends to invest in a child's future as a group. To start the process, a designated adult downloads the free app and sets up an account for the child. This provides access to a personalised link they can share with family and friends who want to contribute to the child's nest egg. The person overseeing the account then chooses from a range of low-fee index funds and invests the money. Performance expectations are based on a 7.2 per cent average annual return, which Dennehy says is the approximate historical average (adjusted for inflation) of the S&P 500 over the past 30 years. NestiFi does not need a banking licence as it does not hold any client money. Investments are made through licensed/regulated intermediaries such as brokers, credit unions and brokerage-as-a-service providers. 'NestiFi rethinks investing through the lens of family and collaboration,' he says, adding that it is designed to support families in several different ways, whether that's to save for college fees, give gifts of digital assets or introduce children to the concept of financial literacy. [ Ireland 'actively hindering its citizens from building wealth and securing their future' Opens in new window ] 'The platform supports traditional investments such as stocks and ETFs as well as blockchain-powered assets like stablecoins and tokenised real-world assets,' Dennehy says. 'Our AI adviser 'Sebastian' provides personalised financial guidance for each user, and children can earn rewards by completing interactive lessons. For example, if they spend X number of hours learning on the app, they'll get a voucher for the same amount of time for Disney Plus.' NestiFi is not Dennehy's first innovation rodeo. A graduate of the University of Galway, where he studied IT, Dennehy has been involved with multiple start-ups as founder/co-founder, including digital payments infrastructure company, Aid:Tech, which was the overall winner of The Irish Times Innovation Awards in 2018. NestiFi is his latest venture, and the company currently employs four people. 'I've spent the last decade building technology at the intersection of trust, transparency and financial inclusion, and it struck me that families have no modern tools with which to build wealth together because most investment apps are built for individuals, not families,' Dennehy says. 'I felt the time had come to replace siloed banking apps and old-school custodial accounts with a next-gen platform that would bring together traditional investing, blockchain assets and family-based financial literacy in one seamless experience,' he adds. Dennehy says the company's initial target market will be the US, where an $84 trillion (€75.5 trillion) intergenerational wealth transfer is already under way. Europe will follow, including Ireland, where Dennehy says a substantial wealth transfer will also take place over the next 20 years. Families are a key market for NestiFi, but so are credit unions, financial advisers, financial institutions and fintechs interested in offering NestiFi as a value-added service to their clients. Investment in the business to date is running at about €250,000, and the company is currently raising a seed round of €1.5 million. A private beta launch is slated for the third quarter, with a full roll-out in the US to follow later this year. NestiFi's revenue will come from transaction fees and signing up channel partners. NestiFi is taking part in the AI Ecosystem Accelerator Programme run jointly by NovaUCD and CeADAR – Ireland's centre for AI – while completing regulatory compliance in the US and guiding a pilot group of families through a test run of the app. 'The Tam (total addressable market) is huge, and while we face competition, I think we can differentiate ourselves through the ease of our user interface and the fact that this side of the market is underserved by technology,' Dennehy says. The biggest challenge Dennehy has faced in setting up NestiFi has been navigating regulatory complexity while trying to move fast. 'We're building something that touches custody, tokenised assets and AI, all in a space where compliance really matters, especially when kids and families are involved. Trying to innovate responsibly without getting stuck in red tape has been the real balancing act,' he says. As a serial entrepreneur, Dennehy knows his way around the start-up ecosystem. However, he says that clearer guidance and faster turnaround times within the grants system would make a massive difference to how fast a company can develop. 'Often, the paperwork is intense, and the decision timelines are too slow. If there were more founder-first grant supports with less admin and more mentorship built in, I think we'd see even more global-scale companies emerge from Ireland,' he says. 'Too often, start-ups are forced to chase funding instead of focusing on customers and product. There is a lot of goodwill and some excellent people in the ecosystem, but I think there's still a gap between ambition and execution. [ Google, CeADAR to partner on deal to support AI in Irish business Opens in new window ] 'What I'd truly love to see would be a founder-led innovation hub, something agile with fast access to capital, technical expertise, and hands-on support for international expansion. We need to move away from treating grants as red-tape-heavy lifelines and instead use them as strategic fuel to help early-stage teams build, test and scale faster,' Dennehy says. Are you aware of a recent innovation or innovator we should feature in this column? Email us at innovation@
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Corporation tax take defies tariff fears even as Apple bows to Trump
Corporation taxes jumped fourfold in July compared to the same month last year even as the Government grows increasingly concerned about the multinational companies driving those revenues. Meanwhile, writes Eoin Burke-Kennedy, VAT receipts proved more modest than expected raising concerns about consumer spending. Apple agreed to spend another $100 billion on expanding its US manufacturing footprint as US President Donald Trump said he would impose a 100 per cent tariff on imports that include semiconductors, though would exempt companies moving production back to the United States. It comes as the 15 per cent tariff on US imports from the European Union kick in today. Meanwhile, as President Trump returns to the notion of supertariffs of the pharma sector, Eoin Burke-Kennedy examines what the latest pharma threats mean for Ireland? The future of accessories retailer Claire's is uncertain after the parent of the 20 Irish stores filed again for bankruptcy protection in the US. Conor Pope writes that restructuring firm Interpath which was tasked with finding a buyer for the European operation struggled to find a financial backer. READ MORE Sticking with retail, Hammerson's Irish boss, Connor Owens , who is credited with revitalising the group's Irish operations, has been headhunted by the new US owners of the Blanchardstown Centre to run its business here. Barry O'Halloran reports. A factory worker whose employer forced him to retire at 65 despite his contract having no such stipulation has been awarded €18,000 by the Labour Court. The Irish are buying back into foreign holidays as Central Bank data shows that credit and debit card users spent more on hotels abroad than in Ireland in June for the first time since 2022. Ian Curran has the details. Tourism Ireland spent over €2.4 million on a campaign to attract environmentally conscious visitors who were looking for a 'slower paced, more immersive holiday' and, according to early data it has been a success. Ken Foxe reports. In her Net Results column, Ciara O'Brien looks at the belated rise of femtech , noting that there is clearly money to be made catering to a group that comprises 51 per cent of the population and 48 per cent of the workforce. Meanwhile, Emmet Ryan looks at Big Tech's focus on partnering with major sporting events and wonders whether it will transform how we watch sports? Conscious of the limitations of Ireland's online banking offering, Niall Dennehy applied his background in banking, telecoms and digital payments to develop NestFi , an app that allows an extended family and friends invest in the future of a child. Finally, in our Inside Business podcast this week, host Ciarán Hancock talks to Siobhán Maguire about Revenue's recent wake-up call to influencers about how those freebies on which they build their brand are, in fact, taxable. If you'd like to read more about the issues that affect your finances try signing up to On the Money , the weekly newsletter from our personal finance team, which will be issued every Friday to Irish Times subscribers.
