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Code for video platforms a step closer

The online-safety watchdog says that the introduction of new rules for video-sharing platforms based in Ireland has moved a step closer.

Earlier this year, Coimisiún na Meán (CnaM) had submitted a draft version of the Online Safety Code to the European Commission.

The code is set to apply to ten designated services in Ireland.

In a statement today (29 August), the watchdog said that it welcomed the conclusion of the Technical Regulations Information System (TRIS) process, which involves a standstill period of three to four months while the code is reviewed.

“An Coimisiún notes that no comments on the Online Safety Code were received from the European Commission or other EU member states,” it added.

Obligations

The regulator said that it intended to adopt and apply the new rules to video-sharing platform services based in Ireland “later in the autumn”.

The code introduces obligations on video-sharing platforms to protect their users from harmful content, including:

• Prohibiting the uploading or sharing of harmful content on their services,
• Using age assurance to prevent children from encountering pornography or gratuitous violence online, and having age-verification measures in place as appropriate, and
• Providing parental controls for content that may impair the physical, mental, or moral development of children under 16.