Response to the First Report Of The Interdepartmental Group On Security Of Ireland’s Electoral Process And Disinformation
In a report published today, the Government acknowledged that online platforms present the highest level of risk to our electoral processes, a recognition that the Transparent Referendum Initiative welcomes. This follows the inclusion yesterday of the “impact of social media on public debate” in the national risk assessment, alongside other major risks to Ireland’s stability that need to be mitigated. In both instances the Government acknowledge that the lack of regulatory oversight of these activities needs to be addressed.
It is, however, disappointing that the actions proposed in today’s report fall short of what is needed to respond to an urgent crisis.
In May two global companies took the unprecedented step of withdrawing or limiting their services in Ireland due to the lack of regulation of their product. With more elections planned for the Autumn, concrete proposals to enforce real-time transparency of online paid activity are needed, backed by legislation and overseen by an independent, empowered Election Commission. We have developed a set of our recommendations based on the latest international thinking on how to respond to this crisis, which we shared with officials as part of their consultation for this paper, and are publishing today.
While the recommendation to expedite the establishment of an Election Commission is recommended in today’s report, no timelines or details are given. These details are especially important in a context were prior commitments of this nature have not been seen through.
Today’s recommendation of an “open policy forum” lacks timelines or details as to its status. With three government departments identified, it is unclear who will have responsibility for seeing that the forum’s recommendations will translate into action.
Today’s report finds that in other areas, Ireland’s electoral processes are robust enough to withstand risks that other countries are struggling with. This is something that we can be very proud of, and we should ensure we take the opportunity to lead the way globally in responding to digital threats to democracy. This must include a time-bound plan for implementing regulations on online political advertising.
TRI looks forward to hearing more details about the recommendations in today’s report, and to continuing to work with officials and representatives of all political parties to see this through.
