Social media companies should be shut down over abuse images, Minister says
By Cillian Sherlock, Press Association
The Minister for Artificial Intelligence (AI) has said it would be her “intention” to shut down access to social media companies that violate Irish law on sexual abuse material.
A series of meetings involving the Government, gardaí, and regulators has taken place over reports of sexual images of adults and children being produced using the generative AI tool Grok on X, formerly Twitter.
Niamh Smyth, the minister of state with responsibility for AI, said on Wednesday that the social media site had to be treated as a publisher and there was a need for enforcement against such material.
Ms Smyth recounted details of a recent “robust” meeting with X to The Tonight Show on Virgin Media One, saying: “Twitter, in our conversations, they almost see the users as being the problem.
“User manipulation was a term that was used quite often during our conversation. It’s something I don’t accept, because I believe the technology has been designed with this capability.
“My real gripe here is that it’s a fair expectation that when technology like this is designed, those who design the technology would design safety measures and do the due diligence to ensure that those who use it, and those who view it, are not exposed to harmful content.”
Ms Smyth said she made clear to X that Ireland had “very strong” laws prohibiting such harmful content.
Asked why she did not just shut down social media companies that violate such laws, she said: “That would be my intention.”
Ms Smyth said she media regulator Coimisiún na Meán was engaging with the EU on the matter.
She said she would not pre-empt a decision of the European Commission but added: “We need something at that very high level to impose and enforce upon X as a platform to ensure citizens' rights across the European state are protected.”
Pressed on her use of the word “platform”, Ms Smyth said she believes that X is a “publisher”.
“They are a publisher, and we’ve got to treat them as such, and I will be working my way through this, and obviously trying to give my backing and support Coimisiún na Meán that we seek fast action from the European Commission, because under the Digital Services Act, the provision is there, and there has to be the enforcement, there has to be compliance, otherwise our European citizens are being failed.”
