A live streaming portal between Dublin and New York has been temporarily closed due to “inappropriate behaviour” in the Irish capital.
Thousands of people have visited the two-way portal, which allows people on both sides to see and interact with each other.
And while there have been a number of healthy moments – including Irish dancing and even a marriage proposal – a handful of people have behaved “inappropriately,” Dublin the City Council has said.
Videos on social media have shown people on the Irish side exposing parts of their bodies and showing images of 9/11 and swear words on their phone screens.
Police also escorted a woman after she was seen crashing into the gate.
In a statement issued on Monday evening, a Dublin City Council spokesperson said that “technical solutions” will be implemented in the next 24 hours to address this issue.
“We will continue to monitor the situation over the coming days with our partners in New York to ensure that Portals continues to provide a positive experience for both cities and the world,” they said.
“The portals.org team and its partners are still working to improve the software for greater stability and prepare for Portals to expand to more locations on Earth.
“Those jobs are mainly done at night and during those hours, the live broadcast could be paused.”
Dublin City Council said there has been an increase in traffic since the Portal opened in north Dublin, off O’Connell Street. The New York gateway is located at the busy Manhattan intersection between Broadway, Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street.
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Most of the interactions through the portals have been healthy. Photo: Reuters
“The vast majority of interactions are positive,” the spokesperson added. “We’ve seen families and friends come together, share dance moves and make new friends. There was even a successful marriage proposal.
“The Portal offers a window into other cities and connects people and cultures in a unique way – what we are seeing between Dublin and New York reflects a broader narrative of cultural behaviour.”
The Portals Organization said: “We do not intend to suggest people interact with Portals in any particular way; our goal is to open a window between distant places and cultures that allows people to freely interact with each other.
“We encourage people to be respectful and from our position as observers we see that the vast majority of experiences are positive.”
In a previous statement, they confirmed that the live stream had been paused in order to “update the software used on the Portal.”
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