Latest news with #AppealsCentre
RTÉ News
5 days ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
Appeals body to review social media account suspensions
The Appeals Centre Europe, a Dublin-based social media appeals body, will from today hear cases relating to the suspension of accounts by Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. If a user feels their account has been unfairly suspended by a social media platform, they can now challenge the decision by lodging a complaint with the Appeals Centre Europe. The centre's decisions are not binding, but platforms are obliged under EU law to engage in good faith. The Appeals Centre Europe opened in November 2024 and began issuing decisions in late January. It hears disputes from people and organisations in Ireland and across the EU about decisions by social media platforms relating to issues such as the removal of content. "Losing your social media account is more than an inconvenience, it affects people's lives in fundamental ways," said Appeals Centre Europe Chief Executive Thomas Hughes. "Before now you could either appeal the decision to the platform – which often sticks with its original decision – or go to court at great expense," he said. "Today, however, there's a new option which is independent of platforms and free-of-charge - Appeals Centre Europe," Mr Hughes said. The Appeals Centre has been certified by the media regulator Coimisiún na Meán as an out-of-court dispute settlement body under the EU's set of online safety rules, the Digital Services Act. The start-up funding for the Appeals Centre was provided through a one-time grant from the Meta Oversight Board Trust, but the centre has insisted that it will be independent of Meta. Going forward, the centre will be funded through fees charged to social media companies for each case. Right now, users are not being charged for taking a case but in the future, people who raise a dispute will be asked to pay what is described as a 'nominal fee' of €5, which will be refunded if the centre finds it in their favour. This summer, the centre said it will publish its first transparency report containing insights into the cases it has received and the decisions it has made. It is also planning to expand to other social media platforms later this year.
RTÉ News
13-05-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Dublin-based social media body to cover Instagram
The Appeals Centre Europe, a Dublin-based social media appeals body, has announced that it has expanded its scope and is now hearing cases relating to Instagram. This is in addition to its previous remit, which covered Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. The centre opened in November 2024 and began issuing decisions in late January. It hears disputes from people and organisations in Ireland and across the European Union about decisions by social media platforms relating to issues such as the removal of content. In March, the centre said it had received more than 1,500 disputes from people across the EU looking to challenge the decisions of platforms. The issues were most likely to be about potential violations of platforms' rules on adult nudity, followed by bullying and harassment, and restricted goods and services, which govern how users can mention products like drugs and alcohol. The decisions are non-binding but the Appeals Centre said Meta has already started implementing its findings, adding that it will release more information about this in its first transparency report which will be published by the middle of the year. The Appeals Centre has been certified by the media regulator Coimisiún na Meán as an out-of-court dispute settlement (ODS) body under the EU's set of online safety rules, the Digital Services Act (DSA). The start-up funding for the Appeals Centre has been provided through a one-time grant from the Meta Oversight Board Trust but the centre has insisted that it will be independent of Meta. Once it is up and running, the new Appeals Centre will be funded through fees charged to social media companies for each case. In the future, users who raise a dispute will be asked to pay what is described as a 'nominal fee' of €5, which is refunded if the centre finds in their favour. The Appeals Centre said it will operate as an independent regulatory body that will provide an alternative to often costly and time-consuming legal routes to redress.
