Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 27 March 2019
84. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of the Online Advertising and Social Media (Transparency) Bill 2017; if a money message will be issued to allow it proceed to Committee Stage and support its passage through remaining Stages (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13996/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn interdepartmental group, chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach, has been established to examine the risks to our electoral security, identify mitigating factors and to identify gaps and potential proposals to address these gaps.
The Group published its first report in June 2018, which found that, while risks to the electoral process in Ireland are relatively low, the spread of disinformation online posed a more substantial risk. The report commits to engaging with stakeholders on risks to the electoral process and disinformation, and to develop proposals for regulation of the transparency of online political advertising. In this context, a public consultation on electoral security and online political advertising and an Open Policy Forum, held on 6 December 2018, were organised by the Department of the Taoiseach. The interdepartmental group is currently considering next steps in the context of the outputs of the consultation and the Open Policy Forum.
