Social Media

Coimisiún na Meán has published new guidance for researchers seeking to access data under the Digital Services Act (DSA). Article 40 of the DSA makes provision for researchers to access data from 'very large online platforms' (VLOPs) or 'very large online search engines' (VLOSEs) for t

A "bigger conversation" is needed before the introduction of a blanket social media ban for under-16s which could come with its own risks, the Children's Rights Alliance (CRA) has said. The government is expected to agree today to introduce legislation banning social media for under-16s, following i

The Data Protection Commission (DPC) has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk's social media company, X, in relation to the AI-generated images scandal. The DPC's inquiry into X Internet Unlimited Company (XIUC) under section 110 of the Data Protection Act 2018 is separate to an ongoing EU investig

WhatsApp Ireland can bring an EU court challenge to the imposition of a €225 million GDPR fine which followed an investigation by Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC), the Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled. The General Court had previously held that any challenge to the 202

Meta is facing EU action after being told that excluding third-party AI assistants from WhatsApp while promoting its own Meta AI breaches EU competition law. The European Commission is proposing to impose interim measures on Meta in relation to the change to its WhatsApp Business Solution Terms, whi

TikTok is too addictive, according to the European Commission, which has preliminarily found the video-sharing platform in breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA). The Commission's findings follow an investigation launched in February 2024 focused on design features such as infinite scroll, autopla

Further pressure has been piled on Elon Musk's social media company X over the scandal of AI-powered abuse of women and children following the launch of an investigation by a UK regulator and a raid on its Paris headquarters by French police. The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) yesterda

France’s National Assembly has approved a bill that would bar under-15s from accessing social media, a move backed by President Emmanuel Macron. Parliamentarians in the lower house voted 116–23 late on Monday to approve the core provisions of the legislation, which would prevent young te

The European Commission has launched a new investigation into Elon Musk's social media platform X in light of the international scandal around the creation and dissemination of AI-generated sexually-explicit images of women and children. The investigation under the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) will

Karyn Harty, Lesley Caplin and Aaron McCarthy of Dentons consider whether EU law permits member states to ban social media for under-16s. Australia's ban on under-16s using major social media services came into force in December. Hot on the heels of this news, President Macron announced that France

The UK's independent online safety watchdog, Ofcom, has opened a formal investigation into Elon Musk's social media platform X amid concerns about AI-powered abuse of women and children. The regulator warned that some sexually-explicit images generated and shared by X users using the Grok AI chatbot

Experts on children's rights and women's safety have urged the introduction of a ban on AI-powered "nudification" tools in Ireland as quickly as possible. Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok has come under intense scrutiny in Ireland and internationally because it has been widely used to generate and share

An Garda Síochána has come under further pressure to investigate Elon Musk's social media company X for alleged breaches of child sexual abuse legislation. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) and Digital Rights Ireland (DRI) said in a joint statement that X Internet Unlimited

Coimisiún na Meán and An Garda Síochána have been urged to take action against Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok, which has been used to generate and share sexually explicit images of women and children. Ireland's media regulator has told RTÉ News that it is engaging wit

The parents of a Scottish teenager who died after being targeted by an Instagram sextortion gang have launched a wrongful death lawsuit against Meta in the US. Murray Dowey, 16, died at his family home in Dunblane in December 2023 after being deceived into sharing intimate images with an Instagram a