Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Publication is a fundamental issue that came up again and again. The appendix to Facebook's presentation was optimistic when it suggested an amendment to the Bill which provided that communication does not include provision of information society services. I hope and expect that would be roundly rejected because it is a very ambitious attempt by Facebook to remove itself from its responsibilities. There are questions about what a platform and publication are, which need to be teased out but there is a communication function and communication is taking place. That was acknowledged elsewhere. This is not a neutral platform for freedom of expression. It is a commercial platform in which certain particular messages can be promoted, highlighted and amplified. It is not a neutral tabula rasawhere people place their tuppence worth. What steps does Twitter believe need to be taken to change its financial model? I accept that there are serious concerns about freedom of expression. I do not know that we should automatically move towards identification of persons online. We need to consider what happened in China and avoid government ideas being used in that sense.

If I am paying to have my message amplified then there is a different responsibility and in terms of the facilitation of the anonymous targeting of information. On the question of harmful communications, which I know is a wider issue here, Senator Lynn Ruane and I previously put forward a measure that has not been commenced but is in legislation on the use of information to target vulnerable persons such as an 18 year old with, for example, an eating disorder. There is a wider issue around the targeting of messaging.