Ireland to lead enforcement of EU online content laws

A newly formed media commission will lead the enforcement of new European laws aimed at making the world’s largest tech companies police content on their platforms.

 Flag, Ireland Flag

The Irish government will take on a leadership role in enforcing EU laws related to the removal of illegal content from online platforms, according to a Parliament committee.

The government is in the process of transposing the EU’s Digital Services Act into Irish law through the Digital Services Bill. If passed, the newly formed media commission will lead the enforcement of new European laws to make the world’s largest tech companies police content on their platforms. The commission will become Ireland’s competent national authority responsible for enforcing and investigating breaches of the new rules. They will also act as ‘digital services coordinator’ for Ireland under the DSA, assessing requests to take down illegal content online and issuing orders to do so, among other functions.

Given that many of the world’s largest tech companies are currently headquartered in Ireland as their EU base, concerns have been raised that this national media commission will have an outsized role in enforcing the new rules.