Minister for Communications Patrick O’Donovan has raised concerns in a letter to Cabinet colleague Jack Chambers over the speed at which a pilot age verification tool, which could be used for accessing social media platforms, is being developed.
The tool, which is being built by a unit of the Department of Public Expenditure, is part of a pilot digital wallet scheduled for the early part of this year.
The Government has indicated that the wallet, based on the existing MyGovID app for online services, could be used to verify the identity of adults for online platforms.
However, in a letter to Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers sent last week, O’Donovan said he was “concerned that we do not have confirmation of the scope or start date” of the pilot.
READ MORE
“I believe that it is an urgent priority that these details are discussed and agreed so that we can discuss more concretely with platforms regarding their involvement,” he wrote, adding that he wanted to “communicate clearly and publicly how and when the age verification tool will be piloted and the nature and scope of the involvement of the platforms.”
Last month, it emerged that no social media firms have yet signed up to be part of the pilot, although several had expressed an interest in supporting it.
Chambers is to bring a memo to Cabinet shortly updating the Government on the digital wallet, and plans to roll out a pilot in two phases. The first, which is planned for March, will be to consult the public and determine their preferences, concerns or what queries they might have.
A second stage will enable people aged 16 or older to download a wallet and test some functions in a mocked-up environment. However, it is not expected to initially link into any social media sites, a source said.
O’Donovan has said he wants to make online safety a core focus of the Government’s presidency of the European Union in the second half of this year.
However, the Opposition has criticised the Coalition’s intended reforms in the area, saying they do not address core issues such as the algorithmic targeting of damaging content towards young people.
The Government’s digital and artificial intelligence strategy, published last month, commits it to rolling out the pilot in the first half of this year as part of plans to develop a “digital wallet”, which will enable users to keep important documents on devices and use them to verify identity details.
