DSA | Business Post

Twitter takeover: Can we trust Elon Musk with the ‘closest thing we have to a global consciousness’?

If the tycoon sets the social media platform on an anything-goes path of free speech absolutism, he will quickly run up against stringent new European laws which were agreed last weekend

Death threats and sexual harassment: Lifting the lid on the online abuse of Irish politicians

Irish politicians currently face unprecedented levels of abuse on social media. Now research has discovered that almost half of all the hostility is coming from a tiny number of accounts. But in a new age of political rancour, a small cohort can still make an extremely loud noise

Taking on Big Tech: Can the EU really ‘open the black box of algorithms’ and what it means for you

It is hoped the EU’s Digital Services Act will become the global gold standard for regulating Big Tech but there are a number of concerns about how effective it will be in practice

Overlap between EU laws and Ireland’s new online safety bill still not ‘worked through’

Social media companies have long warned of conflict between EU’s Digital Services Act and Ireland’s new online safety bill

TikTok made overtures to government on watering down EU tech rules

Chinese social media giant claims it is a ‘young, challenger’ platform and thus should not be held to standards of ‘gatekeeper’ tech companies

TikTok resistant to EU proposals for greater transparency and legal liability for platforms

The Chinese social media giant argued that it should not be held liable for any illegal activity it fails to notify to law enforcement

TikTok lobbied Irish government for exemption from Digital Markets Act

The Chinese social media giant said that the European Commission’s model for the DMA was ‘arbitrary’ and ‘fundamentally flawed’

Facebook whistleblower says Irish regulators need more resources

Frances Haugen, who has raised concerns about ‘extreme pressure’ being put on Ireland by tech companies based here, spoke last week to Minister of State Robert Troy about the issue

Data and Goliath: can the Irish watchdog hold its own?

Controversy is raging in Europe over the Irish Data Protection Commissioner’s ability to curtail the power of Big Tech, and it is doing untold damage to the country’s reputation

Troy: Ireland to remain at forefront of EU-wide efforts to regulate Big Tech

Minister last week gave Ireland’s backing to Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act at meeting in Brussels

Martin: government meetings with tech giants ‘should be transparent’

Comment comes in wake of revelations that confidentiality was granted to multinationals who met with cabinet minister Robert Troy on September 21

Tech companies were granted confidentiality before meeting minister

Multinationals asked that no detailed notes be taken during a discussion of new EU digital rules with Fianna Fail’s Robert Troy, because of possible FoI requests

An image problem: why Facebook needs to counter the negative effects of Instagram

A protest by a group of Cork schoolgirls and the revelations of a Facebook whistleblower highlight the stakes involved in the battle to make social media safe for young people

European laws could ‘supersede’ parts of Ireland’s new online safety bill

Draft report from Oireachtas Media Committee recommends ‘full review’ into areas of crossover between separate Irish and European legislation

Ireland opposes French proposal to limit tech regulation

The initiative would reduce the power of Irish regulators to police multinational technology firms based here when a landmark new digital law is passed