Clare’s Junior Minister insists legislation is in place to prevent against harmful or disturbing online content, but he admits it needs to be better policed.
Fine Gael Minister of State Pat Breen is chairing a meeting between Facebook officials and the Taoiseach in the wake of the latest controversy, while the Communications Minister is holding an urgent meeting with company reps in New York.
Facebook was plunged into another controversy after it emerged in an undercover Channel 4 documentary that staff working as moderators were told not to remove harmful content, despite it being reported by users and breaching its own guidelines.
The social media giant has since has apologised, but the Communication’s Minister says the matter has raised serious questions for the company over how it handles reports of harmful content and its internal systems to to deal with it.
Minister Denis Natughton has called an urgent meeting with Facebook officials in New York today in the wake of the controversy.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar says it highlights the problems in trying to regulate the internet.
There’s now calls for tougher laws governing harmful content online.
Clare’s Fianna Fáil TD Timmy Dooley yesterday issued a fresh call for a Digital Safety Commissioner to be appointed, something the Communications Minister has previously shot down.
Clare’s Junior Minister Pat Breen is chairing a meeting between the Taoiseach and Facebook Officials today, and has said that he will raise the matter with the Data Protection Commissioner.
He believes the important thing now is to enforce current laws.
