Ireland's new Online Safety Commissioner has insisted that her office will have real teeth when it comes to policing social media companies and that they could be hit with multi-million-euro fines for breaches of the rules.
Niamh Hodnett will be responsible for ensuring that online platforms remove harmful content in a timely manner.
She is a member of Coimisiún na Meán, Ireland's new media regulator and media development agency, which today set out its work programme for the coming nine months.
The regulator will adopt a binding online safety code to address harmful content on video-sharing platforms and will enforce the new EU Digital Services Act in respect of a wider range of harms.
"Our office does indeed have teeth," Ms Hodnett said.
"Civil and indeed criminal sanctions in some breaches can be applied."
"We can, for breaches of an online safety code, apply civil administrative sanctions of up to 10% of relevant turnover or €20 million, whichever is the greater," she added.
10% of turnover, for larger social media companies, could result in potential multi-billion-euro fines.
Speaking later to RTÉ's News at One, Ms Hodnett said once the online safety code is in place and the services are designated for regulation, the Commission will be imposing binding obligations so platforms will have to reduce harmful content online.
She also called on the public, NGOs, and platforms to make submissions on the new code.
"Harmful and illegal online content is an international problem," said Executive Chairperson of Coimisiún na Meán, Jeremy Godfrey.
"Our job is to regulate service providers based in Ireland, to make the internet safer for people here and across the EU," Mr Godfrey.
Because many of the online platforms have their European Headquarters in Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán, may be responsible for handling complaints from across the EU when it is fully operational next year.
"We will work closely with our counterparts in other EU member States and with the European Commission, so that Irish users are protected, wherever the providers are based," Mr Godfrey said.
Coimisiún na Meán will grow from around 50 staff at present to approximately 160 in the first phase of growth.
As well on online safety, it will also undertake a review of the provision of Irish language services across the media landscape, develop new funding schemes for local journalism and develop a strategy for promoting gender, equality, diversity and inclusion in the media.
