Leitrim people urged to use new route to challenge illegal content online

AI and deepfakes are making an already difficult social media landscape harder to navigate, as thousands of complaints about online content are filed each year.

Around 24,000 complaints were filed with the Dublin-based Appeals Centre Europe between April 2025 and March 2026.

This month, Ireland launched a free dispute settlement service for people seeking to resolve complaints about illegal online content.

The service, run by Impress Dispute Resolutions (IDR), provides an out-of-court route for users to contest platform decisions and have claims about illegal content independently investigated.

It also examines complaints about account suspension and demonetisation on illegal-content grounds.

Complaints can relate to illegal or harmful speech, electoral misinformation, acts of violence, non-consensual behaviours including bullying or intimidation, data protection and privacy violations, and intellectual property infringements.

IDR is the only company authorised by the Irish media regulator Coimisiún na Meán (CnaM) to handle illegal content claims under the Digital Services Act and come to a verdict on the account.

An independent legal team works with platforms to resolve complaints. Outcomes can include the reinstatement or removal of accounts or content, or, in some cases, guidance on remuneration for financial losses.

Examples of complaints could include AI-generated deepfakes shared without consent, false claims about voting processes, or misinformation.

During the 2025 Irish Presidential election, the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) Ireland identified 177 instances of posts or activity that appeared to violate social media companies’ guidelines.

EDMO found that Facebook and TikTok only acted on around half of the instances of content violating their standards.

“Over the past decade, we’ve supported thousands of people harmed in the media – and demand has never been higher,” said Gia Thom, Co-founder of Impress Dispute Resolutions.

“When your identity is deepfaked, or your account is wrongly banned, it’s not just frustrating - it can be devastating.

“For the first time, individual people can challenge illegal content decisions without cost, complexity, or fear. ODS is a world first and the missing piece of online safety - real redress for real people,” said Thom.

The scheme is free, with the costs falling on the platforms so users face no financial barrier when challenging harmful content or platform decisions.