In a major decision for digital safety in Ireland, the High Court has turned down legal challenges from Reddit and Tumblr. Both platforms had tried to stop the country’s media authority from labeling them as video-sharing platform services (VSPS). However, the court ruled that the regulator acted within the law and made the right call.
Ireland’s media authority, Coimisiún na Meán, included Reddit and Tumblr in a list of platforms required to follow strict safety rules under the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022. This law is part of the EU’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD).
The rules aim to protect internet users, especially minors, from harmful material. Under this law, platforms in the VSPS category must remove or block videos promoting suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, or bullying; use tools like age checks to protect children; and organize video content with algorithms and other systems.
Reddit and Tumblr didn’t agree with this classification and decided to take legal action.
Reddit argued that it does not actually host videos directly. Instead, users share links from other platforms. Because of this, Reddit argued it should not be held responsible under the VSPS rules..
But the court didn’t accept that argument. Judge Siobhán Phelan said Reddit still plays a major part in how videos are shared and seen. Since Reddit organizes content using features like recommendation tools, it has a clear role in how videos spread, and that makes it responsible under the law.
In her decision, the judge noted, “Even if a video is just a link, it still becomes part of Reddit’s platform experience.”
Tumblr took a different approach. It said that video content is a very small part of what users do on the site, and fewer than 1% of visitors watch videos each month.
However, the court still agreed with the regulator. The judge said the amount of video content doesn’t matter as much as the platform’s role in delivering that content. Even small amounts of harmful videos can be dangerous, so Tumblr still needs to follow the rules.
The court added that the regulator made the decision based on EU guidelines, not just on numbers.
This ruling is important for other platforms that offer video content, even if it’s not their main feature. The decision makes it clear that platforms cannot avoid regulation just because they link to videos instead of hosting them.
Legal expert Sarah Twohig noted that more platforms may now be required to follow the same safety rules and improve how they handle video content.
The Irish safety rules are expected to officially take effect later this year, once reviewed by the European Commission. When they do, platforms like Reddit and Tumblr will need to improve content moderation, add stronger age checks, and control harmful videos more effectively.
In short, if a platform helps users access video, even in small ways, it may still be held responsible for keeping that content safe. Other video-sharing platforms like Rumble Inc. (NASDAQ: RUM) may have to study this ruling and see how they could be affected by the classification made by regulators in Ireland or other EU countries where they have a presence or operational interest.
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