The Courts Service has obtained interim High Court orders against Google Ireland and Facebook Ireland requiring the removal of certain material posted on social media, including video recordings of court hearings concerning an elderly woman who is a ward of court.
The videos objected to include one of the son addressing High Court president Mr Justice Peter Kelly earlier this month in terms which led to the judge leaving the bench after directing gardaí to remove the man for persistent interruption of the court’s work during that and earlier hearings. Donogh Hardiman BL, for the Courts Service, sought orders against Google Ireland and Facebook Ireland arising from the posts.Following correspondence with the defendants, a substantial amount of the material has been removed or blocked but some remains online and there is concern that more has since been posted and more might follow, counsel said.
Another element of the application arose from a “far-reaching” undertaking by given by the woman’s son in May 2017 not to publish material about her after certain posts were removed. Facebook had concerns about legal and practical difficulties if certain orders were granted aimed at restraining any future publication before the full hearing of the case taken by the Courts Service, he noted.