The head of a major data compliance company has said that the Broadcast Authority of Ireland (BAI) is not the appropriate body to regulate the internet and social media.
Simon McGarr of Data Compliance Europe told RTE radio’s Morning Ireland that the 98-page plan by the BAI which will be published today “demonstrates why they shouldn’t be the body to do that.”
It was because of the institutional history of the BAI, based on the Broadcast Act of 2009, that it doesn’t have the instincts to perform the task.
“It is a completely different communication. They have taken the concept of regulating broadcast and applied it to communications between individuals."
Some of the arguments made by the BAI in their proposal are “perfectly sensible”, he said. However, he warned that trying to do something the fastest is not the best way.
“There will be mistakes.
“It is important to get this right, not quick.”
