Irish and international experts have said social media platform X was generating child sexual abuse material, as well as nonconsensual undressing images of adults, but the National Transport Authority (NTA) is continuing to hold Irish Rail to a contractual obligation to post updates and to reply to messages on the platform formally known as Twitter.The NTAs lack of movement on the issue reflects the Irish Governments position to stay on X, but the authority did not answer questions relating to whether there has been any mandate from Governmenal level or if it would remove the contractual obligation put on Irish Rail as a public service obligation provider to be active on X.It was reported yesterday that the European Commission has launched an investigation into X after Grok, the AI system linked to the platform, generated millions of undressing images.The Center for Countering Digital Hate estimates that Grok is responsible for generating around 3 million sexualised images, including about 23,000 that appeared to depict children. It said that Elon Musks AI tool produced an estimated 190 sexualized, user-generated images per minute over an 11-day period.A number of passenger and campaign groups, as well as the Green Partys spokesperson on transport, have criticised the transport authoritys inaction.Four groups South East on Track, Cork Commuter Coalition, Dublin Commuter Coalition, and the Galway Commuter Coalition have written to the NTA, while a fifth, Rail Users Ireland, also said Irish Rail should be released from its contractual obligation to post and respond to messages on X.Cllr Feljin Jose, a Dublin City councillor who is also the Green Partys spokesperson on transport, said: Its not acceptable that the only way to get live service updates for Irish public transport is by having an account on X, which is now under investigation for CSAM. The National Transport Authority and Iarnrd ireann / Irish Rail need to start providing accessible and reliable updates on their own platforms instead of relying on X.The four groups wrote: We are writing as rail and commuter advocacy groups across Ireland, to request that Iarnrd ireann move its real-time service updates regarding cancellations and delays from the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to your own website and official channels.Currently, passengers seeking up-to-date information about service disruptions must have an active X account to view these critical updates, the groups said, outlining how this creates several significant problems The groups said that the current setup requires passengers to maintain an account on a third-party social media platform to access essential public transport information creates an unnecessary barrier. Many passengers, particularly elderly travellers or those who choose not to use social media, are effectively excluded from receiving timely service updates.Recent controversies surrounding X, including serious issues with child safety and content moderation failures involving Grok AI, make it an increasingly inappropriate platform for a state-owned public service to rely upon as its primary and in some cases, only communication channel. Iarnrd ireann should not require its customers to engage with a platform facing such significant ethical and safety concerns. Dublin City Council have this week stopped posting on the platform because of these concerns, the letter said.The four also said that there are service reliability issues in relying on a third-party platform.The groups want real-time service updates, including information on delays/cancellations/amendments posted directly on irishrail.ie, and on the TFI Live and the Irish Rail apps. The groups also said that they want clear, specific information about all accepted alternative services to reduce passenger confusion and stress during disruptions, and for the practice of saying delays or cancellations are due to operational issues to end.The groups wrote: Other international providers have recently switched to a more detailed information provision in the events of issues or delays. For example, Dutch Railways, instead of saying operational reasons, now say a fallen wire, or broken down train, [and] that allows passengers to more accurately determine whether to find alternative transport or to wait. It may also be useful to include a scale, letting the customer know whether or not the incident is minor, notable, or major where possible.An NTA spokesperson said: Transport operators communicate with customers through a variety of channels, including their own websites, social media outlets, and the TFI Customer Contact Centre. In the case of planned or foreseen disruptions, operators notify the public via those channels and where appropriate, via ad campaigns across traditional and online platforms.In the case of unforeseen disruption, the most up-to-date information is communicated to customers in a number of ways, including on-board and at-station announcements along with passenger information displays where available, the spokesperson said. The NTA spokesperson added: It is also made available via social media and, where possible, on operator websites. Customers can also contact the TFI Customer Contact Centre in these situations. NTA continues to engage with operators to improve ways to provide clear and timely information to customers.