Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Sweeney and Ms Cummiskey for attending today to account for themselves and the company. I was one of a number who requested that representatives of Facebook be brought before the committee to deal with the very serious issues that arose in the Channel 4 programme.

The context in which this has happened is interesting. We need to tease out some of the issues today. The issues of child protection, hate speech and racist material have arisen. Facebook is in our pockets because it is on our phones and it goes into every sitting room. It is present throughout the globe. Facebook has a huge responsibility to protect people who are connected to it.

I read the opening statement that Ms Sweeney supplied to the committee. The company has either been incapable or unwilling thus far to deal with the issues of regulation and to stop this type of content from appearing on the platform. Do Ms Sweeney and Ms Cummiskey agree the days of self-regulation are over? Facebook is a private company. A number of private companies are running platforms. This is a sovereign state and one of many throughout the globe. We have to ensure, as lawmakers, that people are protected. Thus far, Facebook and some other private companies have failed to do that. Do Ms Sweeney and Ms Cummiskey agree the days of self-regulation are over?

One of the pieces of content mentioned in the programme - the one showing a serious assault on a three year old boy - has been up on the site since 2012. The statement the committee received the other day refers to errors, content that should not be present and incorrect guidance that was given. Surely to God it is not an error when stuff like that is up on a platform for six years. It shows a complete inability or unwillingness on the part of Facebook. Will Ms Sweeney and Ms Cummiskey address that issue for me?

Ms Sweeney said Facebook is one of the most heavily scrutinised companies in the world. It is everywhere so there will be a lot of scrutiny of it. However, Facebook is not the most regulated. There is an absence of regulation at state level. Thus far, Facebook has been incapable or unwilling to remove certain content. One of the CPL moderators, who is employed by Facebook, stated on the programme that if Facebook starts censoring people too much people will stop using the platform and that it is all about money at the end of the day. The view of one of the chief executives on this issue was referred to by the Chairman.

To my mind, some senior person is in charge of moderators, gives direction to them and sets out the code of ethics for them. This is not stuff they think up in their own heads. Is this the ethos of Facebook? How did the senior person who is in charge of the moderators and gives them direction on what they should look out for on the platform come to the idea that if people were censored too much, they would stop using the platform and that it was all about money at the end of the day? I understand Facebook is a private company that has to make money from advertising. However, there has to be a balance. That statement is striking and does not fall out of the sky. A moderator did not wake up some morning and decide that this was approach that should be taken. He or she is employed by Facebook and given directions by it. We need to know why that is happening.

Sinn Féin's Digital Safety Commissioner Bill has passed Second Stage in the Dáil. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire proposed the Bill and we believe it is very important. Bills passed on Second Stage will always be improved as they pass through the Oireachtas and we welcome Facebook's views on the Bill. It is welcome that it acknowledges the need for it. That is very positive. The Bill has broad support across the House. The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Denis Naughten, spoke on RTÉ radio yesterday about the need for it and signalled his support for its principles. We look forward to it proceeding quickly.

Ms Sweeney has said Facebook does not allow 13 year olds have a Facebook account. Her explanation of how that is enforced is a little flimsy. I recognise that it is difficult to enforce, but we need a better explanation of how the company intends to do this in the future. She has also said Facebook limits the distribution of certain images to those over 18 years of age and that it is possible to do this in practice. How does Facebook do it?

Ms Sweeney has mentioned that some of the staff involved have been advised to take time off. Is it the case that Facebook has asked them to be fired or is it enforced time off? Are they simply sacrificial lambs to allow Ms Sweeney to come here and tell us that they have been given time off to show how seriously Facebook is taking the matter, whereas, in fact, responsibility goes further up the chain in the company?

Does Facebook harvest data from children aged under 13 years?