Farrell warns of online disinformation ahead of busy year at the polls

The last few years have seen the likes of ChatGPT and AI-generated images take the world by storm, but Northside TD Alan Farrell has warned that the new technologies need to be closely monitored as Ireland gears up to head to the polls. 

The Fine Gael Justice Spokesperson noted that this year will see two referendums as well as local and European elections, and it is “vital” that the integrity of the electoral process is kept safe.

“We have seen many examples of misinformation and election interference in countries around Europe, and indeed around the world, in recent years. This has been compounded by an increase in groups around the world seeking to sow division and disinformation into other countries’ elections.”

“Much of this activity is increasingly taking place in the online sphere, with conspiracy theories, hate, and abuse; seeking to create disharmony and stoke fear in our population and our communities on a range of issues. Social media companies in particular have a responsibility to uphold standards on their platforms and to act in a timely manner to tackle inappropriate behaviour when it occurs.”

The spectre of misinformation and people using current events to advance an agenda became prevalent in the wake of November’s riots, with social media platforms such as TikTok, WhatsApp and Twitter coming under fire by Government officials for not being proactive enough in stamping out extremism and misinformation.

The Fingal East TD said that “strong, effective and efficient content moderation mechanisms must be in place and ready to react, particularly when it comes to political advertising.”

“Pervasive, insidious content must be stamped out, if we do not tackle it now we risk allowing this activity to proliferate, which poses a real-world risk to people’s safety.”

Farrell cited the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence as a “significant challenge to our fight against misinformation.”

“Deep-fake videos and AI-generated images can be incredibly difficult to identify as being fiction, the result of these videos and images, among other things, could potentially sway the result of an election, we have to put guardrails in place now, before a busy electoral year begins in earnest. “

“It is pivotal that this activity is countered, and that people are able to identify misinformation campaigns.”

He praised the establishment of Coimisiun na Mean, a media regulator that looks over broadcast and online media in Ireland.

“There are already plans to double the number of staff in 2024 and this will be further important step in ensuring the resources are there to achieve efficiency,” he said.

“With global uncertainty and extremism on the rise around the world, it is more important than ever that we protect our democratic processes, and to build a cybersecurity framework that is robust and prepared to defend our key institutions.”

“We have only to look at our recent past to see the impact of large-scale cyberattacks such as those that targeted the HSE. People must have faith in our systems and that their beliefs and concerns will not be manipulated by nefarious actors at home or abroad.”