Ms Niamh McDonald:

There is a lack of accountability because there has been self-regulation of social media companies for 15 years. These are global companies. They say they can regulate themselves within each district or country, but that will not happen when they have a global reach. They provide unfettered ways of sharing misinformation and disinformation. They are perfect bedfellows for hate and extremism. The salacious content that is needed for social media companies to grow is the same as what the far right needs. When there is no accountability for the arson attacks, the violence and the far right, people feel it is okay to say “Let us burn it down” on social media because such comments do not get removed. The two elements are working together with no accountability and they are continuing to grow.

This is why one of our key recommendations is to turn off the recommender systems by default. Otherwise, these platforms will be a bunch of bigots talking to themselves. Let us call it what it is. They have been given a massive platform. They have also been given new tools on Twitter or X whereby each "citizen journalist”, to use the term the Deputy mentioned, pays a monthly subscription to Twitter, giving him or her a higher rating on the algorithm, which means that person’s content gets fed in. Such individuals get longer posts on Twitter and can also use livestreaming. They can livestream hate events and anti-migrant events, attacking politicians, doorstepping people or whatever. They are being facilitated and are paying for that facilitation.