Dublin Portal changes after 'inappropriate behaviour'

The 24/7 livestream is on a big, circular screen erected just off the junction where North Earl Street runs onto the Irish capital's main thoroughfare, O'Connell Street.

It allows people in Dublin in the Republic of Ireland to see what is going on in New York in the United States in real-time.

A similar screen and webcam in the Big Apple also means people there can see what is happening in Dublin, around the clock.

'Majority of interactions are positive'

The portals opened last week in both cities, with many people enjoying the ability to interact with passers-by on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

However, on Monday Irish and US media reported inappropriate behaviour over the weekend at the Dublin portal.

Videos circulating online included clips of a man "mooning" and others apparently pretending to take drugs.

A caller to RTÉ radio told of a woman suspected of being under the influence of alcohol being led away by gardaí (Irish police) after dancing provocatively against the portal screen.

In a statement on Monday, the council said the "overwhelming majority of interactions are positive" but said "a very small minority of people" had been engaged in the "inappropriate behaviour" and that this has been "amplified through social media".

"While we cannot control all of these actions, we are implementing some technical solutions to address this and these will go live in the next 24 hours," it added.

"We will continue to monitor the situation over the coming days with our partners in New York to ensure that portals continue to deliver a positive experience for both cities and the world."

The council has not specified what technical changes will be made.

The council says those engaging in "inappropriate behaviour" at the portal are in a minority

In a statement to RTÉ, the company behind the installation, Portals Organization, said it did "not intend to suggest people to interact with portals in any particular way".

"Our goal is to open a window between far away places and cultures that allows people to interact freely with one another," it added.

"We encourage people to be respectful and from our position as observers, we see that the absolute majority of experiences is on the bright side."

-bbc