Ms Patricia Cartes:

The user base behaviour in Ireland is similar to that in other countries, so we do not see a massive difference between Ireland and other countries, particularly in Europe where most countries have similar behaviour. Over time we have learned how user behaviour varies from country to country. In one country people sent friend requests as though Facebook were a dating site, so we had to modify the way we provided support to teach people it was not a dating site. We have never seen particular patterns of behaviour in Ireland which are abusive or differ from other countries. Discussion has taken place previously on whether Ireland has more bullying than other countries. We do not think this is the case. Just like in other regions and countries there is bullying and abuse, but a very small number of the Facebook population comes across offensive content. As one interacts with one's friends one must vet the connection before engaging and this provides a safeguard.