Those Viral Clips of the NYC and Dublin Portal Are Why it Was Shut Down
The Portal's shutdown is only temporary, and the Dublin City Council hopes to have it up relatively soon.
Published May 14 2024, 6:39 p.m. ET
It didn't take long for The Portal connecting New York City and Dublin, Ireland to be shut down, thanks to some inappropriate behavior on both sides of the livestream. The Portal, which was erected as part of a visual art installation meant to connect cities via a 24/7 livestream, was shut down within a week of opening.
Though the portal was a viral hit, with plenty of videos about it spreading online, it seems you'll have to wait for it to open again before visiting it.
Why was the NYC and Dublin portal shut down?
The Dublin City Council said in a statement that the portal was only being shut down temporarily as a result of a series of inappropriate behaviors taking place on both sides of the ocean. Videos of this inappropriate behavior have gained the most traction online, including a video of the people in Dublin showing a photo of the 9/11 tragedy to New Yorkers, and people publicly flashing each other through the portal.
As a result, the Dublin City Council states that it will be putting some "technical solutions" in place to curb this inappropriate behavior.
"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 said. “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.”
These measures initially included blurring genitals and other inappropriate visuals, though it deemed the trail "not satisfactory."
“We are delighted by how many people have been enjoying the Portal since it was launched last week,” the statement continued. “It has become a global phenomenon and it is important to note that the overwhelming majority of people interacting with the Dublin Portal have behaved appropriately.”
How long will the portal be in New York City?
The portal's origins are in Ireland, with its Lithuanian founder stating that he intends to extend the livestream to different international cities. It's currently scheduled to remain in New York City through the fall, and there are also portals located in Vilnius, Lithuania, and Lublin, Poland. Its website states there are plans to expand it beyond these countries, with current talks including bringing one to Brazil.
“Portals are an invitation to meet people above borders and differences and to experience our world as it really is—united and one,” said Benediktas Gylys, founder of the Portal. “The livestream provides a window between distant locations, allowing people to meet outside of their social circles and cultures, transcend geographical boundaries, and embrace the beauty of global interconnectedness.”
Depending on how the changes put into place pan out, we'll see if the Portal returns to New York or if the continued inappropriate behavior will have it ultimately removed from the city.
