META HAS AGREED to attend an Oireachtas committee meeting to discuss the role of social media videos in the fatal M9 collision involving a car driving the wrong way. 

TikTok has twice refused to attend the Oireachtas Media committee meeting, despite the social media giant coming under the microscope after it emerged that many videos circulating on its site showed videos and images of vehicles, garda pursuits, and reckless driving, including driving the wrong way down motorways. 

While the Facebook owner has agreed to attend the meeting, with chair of the committee Labour’s Alan Kelly said they are awaiting a response from Google. 

TikTok was asked to appear before the committee to answer questions about the safeguards it has in place to protect users from dangerous and harmful content, and the steps it is taking to “limit and remove content that glorifies irresponsible and illegal activity”, especially “content that potentially places the public in danger”. 

Declining the initial invitation, TikTok took issue with the fact it was the only social media company invited to the meeting, saying that other social media companies also play a role. 

In response, Kelly moved to invite other social media and tech companies to attend. 

Speaking to The Journal at the Labour think-in in Galway on Thursday, he said the continued refusal of TikTok to appear at the committee is a “slap in the face”. 

“We’ll have to work with what we have,” said Kelly. 

He said it is “bordering on shameful that TikTok, which is the app of choice and the communication tool of choice for so many young people, given what’s happened, it’s really a slap in the face that they haven’t come in”.

Kelly said before his time in politics, he was an IT manager, and he has a great understanding the tech world.

Related Reads

M9 crash fallout: Minister says 1,000 teens are 'beyond reach' of crime diversion supports

Watchdog asks TikTok for 'full account' of how it's dealing with videos posted by car theft gangs

'Get me famous’: TikTok accounts rack up thousands of views with stolen cars and garda pursuits

“There are so many AI tools now out there to prevent that content going up online, and I actually think it is an opportunity for the likes of TikTok and others to come in and say, ‘look, we’re going to engage these tools’. But they’ve chosen not to do so,” said Kelly. 

He said it is now coming to a point where the government is going to have act “very forcefully” against social media tech firms if they don’t comply at a national level. 

“I honestly don’t think at a European level, we’re going to get agreement,” said Kelly.