Press release
Approval of the designation of An Garda Síochána as a competent authority under the EU Terrorist Content Online Regulation
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Justice Simon Harris has today signed regulations designating An Garda Síochána as the competent authority in Ireland for issuing legal orders requiring internet service providers to remove online terrorist content.
This comes on foot of the obligation on each EU member state under the EU Terrorist Content Online Regulation [Regulation (EU) 2021/784] to designate a competent authority for this purpose.
Minister for Justice Simon Harris said:
“The internet has given us so much by way of positive growth and innovation but it is vital that we prevent the spread of terrorist content online to the greatest extent possible, working in partnership with our fellow Member States across the EU. Internet service providers must recognise their role in preventing the spread of online terrorist content.
"As Ireland’s policing and security service, An Garda Síochána has the necessary expertise, international contacts and experience to carry out this function in an effective manner."
The Minister noted that:
The implementation of the EU Terrorist Content Online Regulation will supplement the existing arrangements and provide for a speedy, cross-border, legally-binding mechanism for the removal of such content.