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Meet Jeremy Godfrey — Head of Ireland’s ‘Ministry of Truth’ — Responsible for Social Media Censorship and Policing Free Speech

  Jeremy Godfrey has been appointed as the executive chairperson of Coimisiún na Meán (Media Commission), a body responsible for social medi...

 

Jeremy Godfrey has been appointed as the executive chairperson of Coimisiún na Meán (Media Commission), a body responsible for social media censorship and policing free speech in Ireland.

This appointment comes as part of Ireland’s efforts to enforce the Orwellian EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) of 2023, which requires online platforms with over 45 million active monthly users to focus on “moderating harmful and abusive content.​”

According to Politico.eu, Jeremy Godfrey will soon have the authority to impose fines on social media platforms that permit ‘hate speech’ and ‘cyber bullying.’

The news outlet reported:

 

Jeremy Godfrey will soon have immense powers to police social media. He’s just not quite sure how he’s going to do it.

Working from a nondescript building a mere stone’s throw from the offices of many of the tech giants now under his oversight, Godfrey is nine months into his tenure as executive chairman of Ireland’s Coimisiún na Meán, or Media Commission. The newly created regulator is on the front line of enforcing the European Union’s new social media rules, known as the Digital Services Act (DSA), as many of the companies under its purview — like Google and TikTok — have their European headquarters in the Irish capital.

But ahead of early next year, when the Commission’s powers — including levying potentially hefty fines for infractions — take effect, Godfrey and his team of 75 regulators are still figuring out how it’s all going to work.

The Irish watchdog’s remit covers everything from overseeing the country’s broadcasting industry to enforcing EU-wide online terrorism regulations. It also must coordinate with other European regulators on policing the bloc’s online content rulebook. It will share powers with Brussels on many aspects of the world-first social media legislation, which aims to quell the spread of hate speech and disinformation on the world’s largest online platforms.

Since March, the agency has almost doubled, to approximately 75 individuals, with a goal of doubling that figure again, to 160 regulators, by the end of the first quarter of next year. By the end of 2024, Godfrey said he wanted up to 250 personnel on his books, although not everyone would be focused on social media. In comparison, the European Commission has about 120 people in its content enforcement team.

Social media has been less than kind, poking fun at Godfrey’s appearance, branding him the face of Ireland’s “Ministry of Truth.”

Below are some of the tweets: