Companies like WhatsApp and Facebook could be hit with heavy fines if they don't get tough on users sending nudes.
The Minister for Media Catherine Martin has proposed changes to the Online Safety Bill which would ban 'cyberflashing'.
If the changes are approved, it would make it a crime to send naked pictures to someone else online, being cited to cause fear or distress to another person.
Cyberflashing set to become criminal offence https://t.co/WSUwFQhQPR #OnlineSafety #onlinesafetybill
— Wayne Denner he/him (@waynedenner) October 18, 2022
Speaking on the topic, Finna Fáil Senator Lisa Chambers says: "I think the Minister had come under a little bit of pressure to rectify what was considered an omission from the online safety and media regulation bill."
She added, "Basically, what it will seek to do is to penalise and criminalise social-media companies who fail to take down these types of images."
As reported by the Irish Examiner, the expectation is that cabinet will approve the amendments to the legislation under the new online safety bill.
Fines as large as 10% of a social media company's annual turnover are at the forefront of non-compliance, with a criminal sanction applicable for management who fail to comply with the safety code.
Minister Martin also looks set to tackle the topic of gender, citing a necessity for an appropriate number of females to be heard and seen across television and radio.
