Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)

I apologise for having had to step out for a brief period. There was another commitment I had to attend to.

I thank the witnesses for being here. The work they are undertaking is really important, particularly in the online world we live in now. Part of what they are doing is trying to ensure users find it easy to report illegal content, but it is about how we define "illegal", to a certain extent. People may put up content that is libellous or smearing. I am talking about within election cycles and about my personal experience. When a smear campaign is started online, for that content to be declared illegal, one has to pursue a legal case. When we are talking about a three- or four-week electoral cycle, by the time it would have the opportunity to go through the courts, if that was the course of action, the campaign is over. I am genuinely very concerned about candidates from all parties and none undergoing this type of smear campaign. It needs to be stopped in its tracks immediately once it starts. I am trying to figure out the witnesses' role in that with the platforms. Going back to my own experience, it takes time between contacting the platform and getting it to take it down. It may take down one and another may appear. It is an incredibly frustrating and upsetting process for those involved.

Regarding the Digital Services Act, I would be interested in knowing the criteria the witnesses use to determine whether a platform meets its obligations and in knowing about the challenges the witnesses come across when developing enforcement procedures.