Varadkar and Martin accuse X of content moderation failures

David Young, PA

The Taoiseach and Tánaiste have heavily criticised social media platform X, saying it is not doing enough to take down harmful content.

Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin both questioned the direction the platform, formerly known as Twitter, has taken since it was taken over by Elon Musk.

The European headquarters of X are based in Dublin.

“Twitter, as it used to be called, has always been a bit of a sewer as far as social media goes,” Mr Varadkar said.

“Despite what other people may say, I am actually somebody who believes in free speech, but there have to be limitations and standards.

“I don’t believe that Twitter, or X, implements its own community standards.

“Other social media platforms do, and I think if you’re not even able to live up to your own standards it doesn’t reflect very well on any organisation.”

Mr Varadkar, who was asked about Mr Musk’s stewardship of X at his end-of-year media briefing, said the Government had a role to play in regulating social media platforms.

“We said very clearly a year or two ago that the era of self-regulation was over,” he added.

“We have laws and they’re European laws. We have an online safety commissioner now and we have Coimisiún na Mean, and I think things are going to change.”

At his pre-Christmas roundtable with political reporters, Mr Martin was also asked about the claims X had watered down its content moderation policies.

The Tánaiste referred to the recent riots in Dublin and claims that X did not do enough to take down content that was posted during the disorder.

“I would have real concerns about what is happening at X,” he said.

“The degree to which, under the cover of free speech, it essentially is allowing, in my view, unacceptable material in terms of hate, bile and attacks, and so on. I have noticed it, yes.

“If you recall in the aftermath of the rioting in Dublin, it was communicated to me by Minister [for the Media Catherine] Martin and others that X were not as responsive to the authorities as the other platforms were.

“I will talk to my government colleagues in respect of this and it is a serious issue.

“I would like to get an assessment of the platform’s agenda and its potential impact on democracy and society, then for us to have an engagement with X, whether that would be fruitful or not given the position adopted by its owner, I would have concerns.”

X has been approached for comment.