ONLINE PLATFORM REDDIT has launched High Court proceedings against Ireland’s broadcasting and media regulator.

It’s understood the Reddit Inc is seeking to overturn Coimisiún na Meán’s attempt to place the website on a designated list of video sharing platforms, in a bid to hold Reddit to future legally binding rules around online safety.

The proposed laws promise fines for companies that can reach as high as €20 million, or up to 6% of their national turnover.

Last week, the commission designated Reddit, alongside nine other websites and platforms including Facebook and TikTok, as a video-sharing platform service.

Reddit is a news aggregation and community forum website which allows users to submit content including written posts, images and videos.

Founded in 2005, it opened a Dublin office in recent years and its Ireland forum contains 800,000 members according to the website.

Reddit Inc, headquartered in San Francisco, describes Reddit as “home to thousands of communities, endless conversation, and authentic human connection”.

“Whether you’re into breaking news, sports, TV fan theories, or a never-ending stream of the internet’s cutest animals, there’s a community on Reddit for you,” it continues. 

Coimisiún na Meán said the designation will mean the platforms fall under the Online Safety Code, a draft framework which aims to make a range of online services legally accountable for how they keep their users safe online.

The draft document is currently subject to public consultation. The commission will be responsible for enforcing it in Ireland from next year.

This framework is based on the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022, the EU Digital Services Act and the EU Terrorist Content Online Regulation, the commission said last week.

Coming into enforcement in February, the EU Digital Services Act is introducing the largest number of regulations on social media to date – with many of the companies headquartered in Ireland.

Coimisiún na Meán, which was established in March last year, has the responsibility to enforce the new rules and laws for these companies.

The draft code sets out measures that video-sharing platforms will be obliged to implement, including blocking content that could be seen as harmful such as cyberbullying or information that encourages an eating disorder, self-harm or suicide.

Court filings

Papers were lodged by Reddit in the High Court yesterday.

The company, which is represented by legal firm A&L Goodbody, has applied for a judicial review in a bid to overturn the commission’s decision to designate it as a video sharing platform.

The case has yet to be listed for a hearing.

Coimisiún na Meán declined to comment when contacted, noting that the matter was before the court. Reddit did not respond at the time of publication.

Other designated services named alongside Reddit include Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn YouTube, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter) and Pinterest.