Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Haugen for her contribution to the debate in Ireland and, indeed, internationally. I was conscious of the Rohingya genocide. It was discovered that there was one contractor working in Dublin to observe harmful content in Myanmar and he only spoke Burmese while 100 languages operate in Myanmar. I found it interesting that in September 2018, when human rights organisations wanted to take a case to the International Criminal Court, lawyers for Facebook refused that request on the basis that it would be a violation of individual privacy. Ms Haugen will be aware that there is a big debate at the moment within the European Union. Our concerns, as Europeans, relate to privacy rights, yet Facebook wants to ensure it can continue to transfer data to the United States. Bruno Le Maire, the French economic minister, said last week, "I can confirm that life is very good without Facebook." He went on to say, "Digital giants must understand that the European continent will resist and affirm its sovereignty." Should we, as Europeans, trust Facebook? Should we, as Europeans, allow any of our data to be transferred to the United States?