Coimisiún na Meán Statement on incidents in Dublin on 23rd November

First and foremost, Coimisiún na Meán’s thoughts are with the victims of yesterday’s horrific stabbings in Dublin, their families, and communities.

When we became aware of the incident, we immediately contacted large online platforms to bring the incident to their attention so that they could respond. Specifically, we expressed concerns about:

• Imagery or videos of the incident being shared online, both out of respect for the victims and to prevent children and adults from being exposed to scenes of graphic violence online.
• The use of this incident to incite violence against individuals or groups.

Under the EU Digital Services Act, Very Large Online Platforms are obliged to assess and mitigate a series of risks from the use of their services, including negative effects for public security. They are also obliged to notify law enforcement authorities if they become aware of information about an actual or potential criminal offence involving public safety.

Subsequent to our contact the major platforms responded yesterday evening and we understand that they have activated their incident response plans. We are having further discussions with the platforms today to gather additional information about how they have responded to this incident and how they will deal with any future issues that arise.

We are also in contact with An Garda Síochána as they continue to respond to yesterday’s incidents.

The violent incidents yesterday highlighted the risks of disinformation and misinformation to a modern democracy. We want people to be aware that there tends to be a surge of disinformation and misinformation whenever there is a high-profile incident.

In line with the public awareness raising campaign we have been running in collaboration with Media Literacy Ireland, we urge everyone to follow the advice to Stop, Think and Check that the information that they are getting, from whatever source, is accurate and reliable.

ENDS

Media contact: Joanne Ahern, DHR Communications, Tel: 087-9881837

All other queries: Coimisiún na Meán, 01-6441200.

Notes for Editors:

About Coimisiún na Meán:

Coimisiún na Meán is Ireland’s new commission for regulating broadcasters, on-demand services, and online media, and supporting media development. Established in March 2023 under the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022, it builds on the work of its predecessor, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. It is responsible for ensuring and maintaining a thriving and diverse media landscape in Ireland that facilitates a mix of voices, opinions and sources of news and current affairs, as well as a safe online environment.

Its responsibilities are to:

• Oversee the funding of and support the development of the wider media sector in Ireland.
• Oversee the regulation of broadcasting and video-on-demand services.
• Develop and enforce the Irish regulatory regime for online safety.

Advice about misinformation and disinformation can be found at https://www.bemediasmart.ie/