Democracy Dies in Darkness

A video portal between Dublin and NYC was art — until the trolls came

The livestream connection between the cities was temporarily shut down after visitors were seen flashing the feed, displaying explicit videos and sharing 9/11 images.

By
May 14, 2024 at 4:08 p.m. EDT
New Yorkers greet people in Dublin through The Portal in New York City on May 8. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)
3 min

It started with an optimistic vision of a high-tech art installation acting as a virtual bridge between Dubliners and New Yorkers.

But within days, some visitors began sharing violent and explicit images and making rude gestures.

Now the Dublin City Council is temporarily pulling the plug.

After being open one week, the Portal is being temporarily switched off to investigate “possible technical solutions to inappropriate behaviour by a small minority of people,” a Dublin City Council spokesperson told The Washington Post on Tuesday.