18 August 2026
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Roads & Transportation News
EU legislation exists to deal with illegal online content, it must be adhered to, says FG Senator
A stronger response to the online promotion of dangerous and illegal activities must be demonstrated by social media companies, a Fine Gael Senator has said.
Senator Eileen Lynch said the EU’s Digital Services Act provides an important framework for dealing with illegal content online and said it is unclear whether those mechanisms are being used effectively when it comes to videos depicting dangerous criminal driving, particularly where young people may be encouraged to copy what they see.
Her comments come in the wake of the latest collision on our roads at the weekend.
Senator Lynch expressed her deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, and to those who have been seriously injured in the collision. “First and foremost, my thoughts are with the families who have lost loved ones and with everyone who has been seriously injured. This is a deeply distressing tragedy, and we must be mindful that behind the headlines are families whose lives have been changed forever.
“We must also think of the emergency services and Gardaí who attended such a horrific scene.”
The Garda Commissioner has raised the deeply concerning possibility that, in some cases, vehicles are being driven on the wrong side of motorways for social media likes.
“Driving the wrong way down a motorway is not a stunt. It is not a challenge. It is not entertainment. It is illegal and potentially lethal,” Senator Lynch continued.
“We would never accept somebody deliberately driving the wrong way down a motorway simply because it might attract a crowd of spectators on the roadside. We should not accept the digital equivalent either.
“If illegal and dangerously reckless behaviour is being recorded and uploaded for likes, views and engagement, we need to ask whether the platforms are doing enough to prevent that content from being amplified.”
Senator Lynch said the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) requires platforms to provide mechanisms for users to report illegal content and to process such reports appropriately; importantly, the DSA itself does not define what constitutes illegal content – that comes from EU or national law.
“The principle is straightforward: if something is illegal in the real world, we cannot allow the internet to become a place where it is celebrated, encouraged and monetised without consequence.
“We should now examine whether those mechanisms are being used effectively when it comes to videos depicting dangerous criminal driving, particularly where young people may be encouraged to copy what they see.
“Road users, parents, schools, Gardaí and road-safety organisations have roles to play in all safety matters – but so too do social media companies. The Digital Services Act gives us the mechanism to report and take action on illegal content online – social media companies must step up and fulfil their obligations, and fast.”