THE LIVESTREAM PORTAL linking Dublin and New York is turning off temporarily tonight while a solution is developed to try to prevent “inappropriate behaviour” from being transmitted.

The twin sculptures in Dublin city centre and Manhattan switched on last week to display a real-time stream that gives Dubliners a look into the Big Apple and vice versa.

The quirky display has attracted a large number of visitors since it launched, with many using it reconnect with loved ones or take a look at what’s happening on the other side of the Atlantic, or even to do a jig or play a quick game of rock paper scissors.

However, some visitors have engaged in “inappropriate” behaviour, according to Dublin City Council.

In a statement this evening, a spokesperson for the council said that the team behind the portal, Portals.org, has been investigating “possible technical solutions to inappropriate behaviour by a small minority of people in front of the portal”.

The council said it had hoped to have a solution in place today but that the preferred solution, which would have involved blurring, was not satisfactory. The Portals.org team is now looking at other options.

“As a result, the portal will be switched off at 10pm tonight and the team at Portals.org have told us they expect it will be switched back on later this week,” the council said.

“We are delighted by how many people have been enjoying the Portal since it was launched last week.”

“It has become a global phenomenon and it is important to note that the overwhelming majority of people interacting with the Dublin Portal have behaved appropriately.”