Letter to the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Dear Irish Presidency,

The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) is looking forward to Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. We welcome the Presidency’s ambitious agenda especially on the topics of AI and the protection of minors. CCDH recommends that the Presidency:

• Lay the groundwork for an ambitious DFA and not give into corporate lobbying.

The upcoming Digital Fairness Act is an immense opportunity to address the root cause of our polluted and toxic online information environment: engagement-based algorithms. European users have the right to choose the logic through which their social media feeds are curated. This right should be reflected in the DFA.

• Focus on meaningfully protecting minors online, going beyond the social media ban conversation towards safety-by-design for children on online platforms.

Any measures towards a ban in Europe will be announced during your Presidency. Your response will guide what happens next. CCDH urges you to place the focus on sustainably changing the online environment and not just the band-aid that is the social media ban.

Indeed, child-safe platforms require a move away from engagement-based algorithms and effective enforcement of the DSA’s obligations, notably the Protection of Minors Guidelines.

We hope that measures for achieving the safety-by-design of platforms will be meaningfully discussed during your Conference on Online Safety for Children and Young People.

• Ensure that AI safety remains at the core of the EU’s AI policy.

With the AI race accelerating every single day, the temptation to run full steam ahead with European AI development and adoption is strong. However, CCDH research has shown that chatbots pose significant harms to users, especially children.

CCDH strongly recommends placing user safety at the forefront of AI policy and not subjugating it to business incentives or the ‘competitiveness’ narrative. We hope your Presidency can advance discussion on how to best regulate the dangers of AI chatbots.

CCDH wishes the Irish Presidency all the best in its stewardship of the Council of the European Union.

Laura Kaun 

Head of Public Affairs  

CCDH