COIMISIÚN NA MEÁN has said that WhatsApp Ireland and Pinterest are “exposed to terrorist content”, telling the two companies they will need to take action against terrorism content to prevent it being spread on their platforms.

The media regulator will supervise the actions taken by the online platforms to check that they comply with requirements, it said in a new determination today.

Whatsapp is a popular international messaging service and Pinterest is a digital pinboard curation platform. 

According to EU law, terrorist content can be various types of material, such as content that solicits someone to commit or contribute to terrorist offences or take part in a terrorist group; gives instructions on how to make weapons for terrorism; or threatens to commit a terrorist offence.

An EU-wide mechanism known as the the Terrorist Content Online Regulation (TCOR) is trying to counteract the dissemination of terrorist content on online service providers and to ensure such material is removed if it appears.

Under the TCOR, a hosting service provider, such as a website, that receives two or more final removal orders for terrorist content from relevant EU authorities within twelve months may be determined as being ‘exposed’ to terrorist content.

Coimisiún na Meán’s determination that Pinterest and WhatsApp are exposed to terrorist content means they will be obliged to take specific measures to protect their services from being used for the dissemination of terrorist content, under the supervision of the commission.

They will be required to report to Coimisiún na Meán on the specific measures taken within three months of today’s decision.   

Hosting service providers who fail to cooperate with TCOR can be subject to administrative fines, including financial penalties of up to four percent of global turnover.

Last year, online platforms TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram received similar “exposed to terrorist content” determinations from the media commission. They continue to be monitored by Coimisiún na Meán.