Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 December 2023
40. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Justice if she will report on her engagement with social media companies about far-right content, the spreading of misinformation, and the activities of far-right actors on their platforms; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55237/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy question relates to the Minister's engagements and, in particular, her recent meeting with representatives of the big social media platforms. We have already seen that social media plays a significant role for the far right and how it spreads its disinformation and rhetoric. Will the Minister give us a progress report on how she got on with those social media platforms?
I thank the Deputy. The events which took place in our capital city highlight the threats posed by violent political extremism. As he said, messages of hate spread online resulted in manifestations of physical violence on our city streets. It is clear that social media companies have an important responsibility to resource and operate robust systems of detection, including the timely removal of harmful content. I have said clearly that it has been relayed to me that some companies engaged better than others. Some companies took down content in a proactive way when compared with others. I am awaiting a wider or more detailed report from the Garda so I can engage further.
I assure the Deputy that countering the threat posed by extremism is a top priority for the Garda and for me and my Department. Our strategy to deal with extremism is part of a whole-of-government response to countering radicalisation to extremist ideologies, along with liaison with the Garda. I and my Department are fully engaged with our EU partners through the radicalisation awareness network to develop our understanding of the evolution of the threat posed by political extremism with a view to putting in place appropriate measures to counter the threat. My Department is also responsible for policy on illegal online content, including the implementation of the terrorist content online regulation, and policy on online extremism, including in respect of right-wing extremists. That is a particular part of the legislation that brought into existence Coimisiún na Meán, on which my Department is leading and for which it will be responsible.
The law is kept under review and the Deputy will be familiar with the provisions of the new Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill, which I am bringing through the Oireachtas. It is currently in the Seanad. It will criminalise the dissemination of exactly the kind of hate speech, offline and online, that often informs or encourages violent extremism.
As I have mentioned, my colleague, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media has introduced the Online Services and Media Regulation Act and established Coimisiún na Meán to regulate online media, including enforcing rules about how online services or platforms should deal with harmful and illegal content on their services. It is important that there is a role for Coimisiún na Meán and the Garda to engage appropriately where there is harmful content. It is particularly important for the Garda to become involved where there is illegal content.
I thank the Minister. These platforms make a vast amount of money. A vast number of people engage in social media, the large majority of whom are responsible and do not spread hate. However, in recent years, certain agitators have used rhetoric and tones it is incredible they get away with. Social media platforms have a responsibility, for those who are viewing this stuff and for society as a whole, to close these people down. I do not watch most of that stuff but I have done so in recent times. The free rein that some of these individuals get is incredible. They agitate and spread hatred and division. If they are spreading that vile rhetoric, surely social media platforms have a responsibility to close them down.
We probably all agree that social media platforms have played a positive role in our lives in general and in how we communicate with other and stay in touch with friends. However, they also pose significant challenges and threats. The negativity we are seeing on social media platforms has grown quickly. One of the biggest challenges is identifying what is harmful content and what is illegal content. The people the Deputy has referenced as instigators and agitators know where that line is and know not to cross it. They know where to stop so their behaviour does not move into the space of illegal content.
This is why Coimisiún na Meán is so important. Identifying exactly what is harmful content is really important, as is the way in which the companies then engage proactively with the coimisiún. There has been and was a level of engagement with Coimisiún na Meán in the days following the riots but it is at the early stages. What people need to see is that where take-down requests are made regarding information that is clearly harmful, it is taken down and, if not, the companies receive the fines that we have set out.
Some of these agitators are benefiting financially from the content they put up online. In fact, that is how they grow their status and following. They solicit people to fund their content, most of which is inflammatory and causes hate. This has been going on for a considerable time. I hope that during the Minister's engagement, particularly with the bigger companies, she relayed that this cannot go on. This is a threat to society. These people have a political ideology that is based on hatred and racism and they want to overthrow society. It is imperative that social media companies are held to account and that these people are also held to account. That is the most important thing here.
As I said, this is an extremely difficult space to try to manage and monitor, particularly where there is a grey area as regards what is harmful and what is not or what is a criminal offence and what is not, although the latter should be much clearer. What is really important is that we do not just come at this from an enforcement point of view but that the social media companies take a proactive role in making sure the standards that they set for their online communities are met and that they are being proactive in enforcing those. Again, this is where Coimisiún na Meán has an important role in making sure these companies are held to account. The time for self-regulation is coming to an end. As a country, we are showing leadership in this regard. The coimisiún is the first body of its kind to be established in the European Union and other jurisdictions are looking to Ireland to see how this is managed. Obviously, a number of these companies are located here so we are best placed to be able to engage directly with them but it is important to note that the companies themselves clearly have a role to play in making sure they fulfil, live up to and enforce their own safety standards for their users.
