Mr. Ciarán Shanley:

I thank Ms Quill. To underpin a few things that Ms Quill said, the Code of Practice on Disinformation at an EU level goes back a few years and includes signatories from the largest online platforms. It is monitored by the European Commission, including with a recent monitoring exercise that it did on Covid-19 misinformation and disinformation. It has been revised in that context. That code also has to be seen in the context of the digital services Act, which, in a few years, will bring in more stringent regulations on how online platforms might deal with such content on their platforms. Regarding this Bill, as Ms Quill said, much work and research would need to go into getting that important balance correct, as the Deputy said. A procedure is in place, provided by the general scheme, to allow for additional categories of content to be added, following a proposal by the media commission involving extensive consultation, Oireachtas oversight, Government approval and ultimately a positive resolution needs to be made by the Oireachtas. There are significant procedures to ensure democratic oversight and that a proportionate approach is taken to the new categories. These are difficult to balance with the interests of safety, freedom of expression, privacy and other matters.