Meta, the global tech giant, wants the Irish Government to use its coming European Union presidency to advocate for the scrapping of a law that would crack down on addictive social media features like infinite scroll.
The owner of Facebook and Instagram, which has a significant presence in Ireland through its European headquarters in Dublin, also wants landmark EU legislation on artificial intelligence (AI) to be paused and rethought. The same legislation has already been stalled and watered down, following intense lobbying from tech giants and the US government.
Meta included the policy proposals in a submission to the Department of Foreign Affairs on Ireland’s upcoming presidency of the EU. The Government has already said digital online safety will be a key theme of its presidency, but so-called “simplification” of proposed AI legislation is also likely to feature.
In its submission, Meta identified the scrapping of an upcoming European law called the Digital Fairness Act (DFA) as a policy and legislative proposal that Ireland should focus on during its six-month presidency.
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The legislation would try to limit what the European Commission believes are unfair commercial practices used by tech giants. This includes infinite scroll, autoplay, gambling-like features, “dark patterns” that push people towards commercial decisions they may not otherwise make, and personalised advertising and profiling of internet users. Michael McGrath, the European commissioner for justice, is responsible for advancing the Act.
When asked in its submission what Ireland should prioritise or aim to achieve during its presidency, Meta said: “The Commission should withdraw the DFA. It contradicts the EU’s efforts to simplify digital regulations, introducing new rules for companies in areas already addressed by existing (and recent) EU laws.”
Meta is one of hundreds of stakeholders who sent such submissions to the Department of Foreign Affairs, which is the lead department for the EU presidency.
The company referenced a letter sent last October from 19 European leaders, which called for less red tape and greater simplification from the EU. Meta pointed out that the letter “called for ‘self-restraint when it comes to new legislation’ and this is an example of over-regulation.”
Meta also said the AI Act, the EU’s landmark law on the emerging technology, should be stalled and redrawn. “A bolder pause and rethink of the AI Act is essential,” it said.
The European Commission had already announced plans to pause certain parts of the legislation, following pressure from tech companies and the US government.
[ European Commission seeks to force TikTok to end ‘infinite scrolling’Opens in new window ]
The one area of digital regulation where Meta said it did believe “additional targeted regulation is required” was online child safety. The Irish Government has indicated that it is in favour of new age limits for social media, which could be enforced through a new online digital ID. Tánaiste Simon Harris has signalled that the Government may try to pass its own law setting such age limits, if a digital age of majority is not agreed at EU level.
While Meta indicated that it was in favour of some form of age limits, it wants parents to be able to reserve the right to waive them.
“Ireland should support an EU-wide digital majority age that would restrict access to certain online platforms, including social media, for younger teens unless they have parental approval. This approach mirrors the offline world, where parents set boundaries for their children’s activities,” it said.
The Government has previously suggested that tech giants were supportive of its plans to verify the ages of social media users through a new digital wallet, linked to a person’s social welfare details. But Meta said it believed the “most effective and efficient way to implement a solution is at the operating system (OS) or App store level.”
[ Ireland may enact age limits for social media even without EU agreementOpens in new window ]
“The OS or App store would serve as the first line of defense across the ecosystem, since this is where users initially engage and where age information is already collected. The OS or App store could share this signal with services such as Meta’s,” it said.
Meta did not respond to a request for comment. Neither the Department of the Taoiseach nor the Department of Foreign Affairs responded to questions about Ireland’s commitment to the DFA.
