Elon Musk’s social media platform X has until tomorrow to comply with an Irish law requiring age checks to protect minors after an initial review by the regulator found it falling short.
Under the Irish Online Safety Code, video-sharing platforms based in Ireland, including X, had until 21 July to comply with a rule requiring them to put effective age checks in place if they carry pornographic content.
However, Coimisiún na Meán, the Irish watchdog overseeing the rules, announced today that its initial review shows X has failed to comply with the requirement.
“Based on an initial review of the X platform, we cannot see evidence of measures taken to comply with this age assurance requirement,” it said in a statement dated Thursday.
The regulator also said it has asked X for an explanation by tomorrow – otherwise it warned it could “take further action where there is evidence of non-compliance”.
Under the Irish Code, X could face a fine of up €20 million or 10% of its annual turnover for a confirmed breach.
Separately, the platform has until tomorrow to comply with a similar legal deadline in the UK to implement age checks.
The UK regulator, Ofcom, has said that online platforms, including X, previously told it they would deploy age assurance methods to meet the country’s online safety rules, without specifying exactly which type of age assurance they would use.
X could not immediately be reached for a comment.
(nl)
