Jen Cummins
Question:63. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment his plans to protect older people from AI scams online; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22588/26]
View answerWednesday, 25 March 2026
Questions (63)
Written answers
I would like to thank the Deputy for raising this question. Online safety and digital trust are key priorities for this Government and we are committed to fostering a safe digital environment for all of our citizens.
Over the last few years, the Government has put in place a significant body of legislation providing the foundation for Ireland’s online safety framework, including the regulation of social media.
Coimisiún na Meán, as Ireland’s online safety and media regulator, is at the heart of the online safety framework. It was established under the Online Safety and Media Regulation (OSMR) Act, which transposed the EU Audio Visual Media Services Directive, and provides that An Coimisiún is independent in the exercise of its functions.
The OSMR Act, along with the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) and the EU Terrorist Content Online Regulation are the main elements of Ireland's online safety framework.
The DSA is an EU regulation that introduces new obligations on providers of online intermediary services, including online social media platforms, to protect users and consumers of online services. The DSA is designed to provide better protection of fundamental rights; more control and choice over online experiences; stronger protection of children online; and expedited removal of illegal content. The regulation has applied in full since 17 February 2024.
These protections—while often framed around minors—also shield vulnerable adults, including older people, from harmful or deceptive online content.
Under the online safety framework, designated online platforms are legally obliged to maintain systems to minimise the availability of illegal and harmful content, including abusive and fraudulent material, to provide user-friendly reporting and flagging mechanisms, and to ensure harmful or deceptive material is acted upon swiftly. These measures apply to content that may mislead, defraud, or otherwise harm users, thereby offering meaningful protection for elderly persons who are often targeted by sophisticated online scams.
A failure to adequately address these requirements can lead to significant financial sanctions and, under the OSMR Act, continued non-compliance can lead to criminal sanctions for senior management.
In addition to this, Article 22 of the Digital Services Act (DSA) mandates that providers of online platforms shall take the necessary measures to ensure that the notices submitted by Trusted Flaggers (TF) acting within their designated area of expertise, are given priority and processed and decided upon without undue delay.
In Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán, as the national Digital Services Coordinator under the DSA, has awarded Trusted Flagger status to the Central Bank of Ireland with regards to the area of financial fraud and financial scams online. This designation ensures that notices of suspected financial fraud or scam content submitted by the Bank receive expedited priority handling by online platforms. Given the prevalence of financial scams targeting older citizens, this mechanism strengthens the State’s capacity to secure rapid removal of fraudulent advertisements, impersonation attempts, and other deceptive financial content.
The specific use of AI by deployers (which may include social media companies) is subject to the EU Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act, the provisions of which come into effect on phased basis. A key objective of the regulation is to protect against harmful effects of AI systems in the Union in terms of health, safety and fundamental rights, while promoting the uptake of human centric and trustworthy AI.
The EU AI Act complements the protections provided for in the Digital Services Act by introducing stronger governance for AI developed or deployed within the EU. These provisions in particular will introduce transparency requirements, so AI generated contents must be clearly labelled as being made by AI.
My Department has lead responsibility for national implementation of the EU AI Act and is working closely with other departments and regulators to ensure comprehensive and robust implementation of the Act. Government designated its national competent authorities during 2025, and the enforcement powers for competent authorities under the AI Act come into effect on the 2nd of August 2026.
My Department, in collaboration with other relevant Government departments, is currently developing primary legislation to provide for the national implementation and enforcement of the EU AI Act, and the establishment of a central coordinating Office.
The recently published National Digital and AI Strategy 2030 contains measures which further reinforce Government’s commitment to enhancing online safety as a whole-system priority.
The European Commission has a key role to play in this area, and it is important to ensure that we work together with them and Member States to ensure a cohesive and enduring approach to ensuring greater online safety. Ireland will use our upcoming Presidency of the European Union to advocate for greater online safety and the protection of all vulnerable groups, in particular, from the misuse of digital tools.