Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank everyone for coming for this hearing today. I, too, join with Deputies O'Sullivan and Munster, along with the Chair, in expressing that frustration in terms of representatives from X not appearing here today. This is really my first question. I have read the statements carefully and listened to what the witnesses said about the efforts they are making across all four platforms, as I understand it today, in terms of the education piece or pre-bunking, as YouTube called its initiative. I want to ask about the platforms' recommendation system.

The question that has to be asked is whether the model upon which all four platforms operate is undermining all efforts to try to prepare people for the content they will see. Ultimately, it is the model of the four platforms that is pushing the most extreme content on people. What has been done to alter the platforms' recommendation systems? We know from UN investigators that Meta played a determining role in the Myanmar genocide in 2017. In Russia, the European Commission has spoken about how the recommendation system, particularly in Meta, has played an influential role. What changes has Meta made to its recommendation role? Is it the case that the recommendation system is the reason we are having these conversations? It is not only that I post photos of my children, and that is fine; it is that Meta is promoting vile content that poured fuel on the fire of what happened last Thursday week. Maybe I will start with Meta.