Dannie Hanna

The Appeals Centre Europe has been certified by Coimisiún na Meán as an out-of-court dispute settlement (ODS) body under Article 21 of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA).

It will initially decide cases relating to Facebook, TikTok and YouTube in the EU.  

Taylor Wessing advised the Appeals Centre Europe on all aspects relating to its establishment and certification.

Dannie Hanna, of counsel with Taylor Wessing Ireland, said: “Taylor Wessing Ireland welcomes the establishment of the Appeals Centre Europe as an important milestone in online regulation and the dispute landscape, placing greater onus on social media companies to ensure the decisions they make are consistent, robust and transparent.

“In a year where there has been strong legislative progress in online safety such as the introduction of the EU AI Act, the Appeals Centre Europe is a further step for social media companies to maintain sustainable growth while protecting users.

“The Appeals Centre will help empower users to have the choice to challenge content decisions on social media platforms. The fact that the Appeals Centre Europe is independent of government and companies means that it accessible and fair for users availing of its services.

“We look forward to observing the impact of the Appeals Centre Europe not only on online safety in Ireland, but its influence across Europe as a whole.”

Ross McNaughton, partner at Taylor Wessing, added: “We’re delighted we could help our client in this exciting new venture — navigating the line between protecting freedom of speech and preserving user safety is an incredibly important societal aim particularly in today’s age of social media.

“It’s also exciting that the Appeals Centre Europe has decided to locate itself in the heart of the thriving tech sector in Ireland, and that our first-class Dublin team, which itself is growing from strength to strength, was able to support.”