Top 5 Irish tech policy stories of the week

Launch of Online Safety Code

Coimisiún na Meán formally adopted the new Online Safety Code earlier this week, following the conclusion of an assessment by the European Commission. An Coimisiún said it brings an end to the era of social media self-regulation and it will apply to video-sharing platforms that have their EU headquarters in Ireland. The code will be legally binding and companies will face fines for breaches of up to €20 million or 10% of annual turnover. The general obligations contained in the code will apply from next month and platforms will have an implementation period of up to nine months to comply.

Irish firms' cyber resilience lagging behind global peers

The 2025 Digital Trust Insights survey by PWC has found that less than 30% of Irish organisations have implemented robust cyber resilience in their business. Irish firms are falling well behind global counterparts, which could lead to significant disruptions in the future, with the estimated cost of the average data breach exceeding €3m. Two-thirds of Irish respondents expected their cyber budget to increase over the coming year and third-party breaches are the number one cybersecurity threat, with Generative AI causing increased cyber vulnerabilities another weakness.

DPC Budget 2025 funding request

In a pre-budget submission, the Data Protection Commission (DPC) said its role was becoming ever "more complex" due to the impact of fast-developing technologies, such as AI. The DPC asked for an extra €4m in funding to hire new staff and manage the potential fallout from artificial intelligence being trained using personal information. Writing to the Department of Justice in July, the DPC requested a €32.4m budget for 2025, however their allocation ended up being €29m.

Taoiseach's?online safety meeting with stakeholders

An Taoiseach Simon Harris chaired a meeting in Government Buildings on Thursday 24th with a range of online safety stakeholders, including those working in the area of children and young people. This follows on from the Online Safety Summit held with Ministers and regulators in September.

A third of SMEs have already adopted AI

More than one third of Irish SMEs?have already adopted artificial intelligence,?new research from Eir Evo claims. Almost half of 400 companies surveyed were planning to implement the new technology. AI was particularly popular among customer service businesses. Almost one?third said AI could cut up to four hours a week from administrative tasks, with?23%?believing administrative work could be reduced by more than six hours a week, which represents?spending of up to €5.1 billion.