Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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At the outset, if the Chair will indulge me for 30 seconds I want to congratulate the colleague on my right, Deputy Lawlor, on his excellent and timely legislation. In the context of this discussion, it is extraordinarily relevant.

I welcome our guests. I note at the outset that during the celebrated hearings in the USA, when the witnesses' CEO Mark Zuckerberg was asked by an Illinois Democrat if he would want the name of the hotel he stayed in the previous night to be made public, he said that he absolutely would not. Reasonably so. That captured the difficulty that people face and how people feel. It is a very serious issue. My questions will be comments as well as questions, but they are nonetheless relevant. None of us should fail to express this important view today. The use of data to manipulate or distort democracy has horrendous consequences. We can see the failure or breakdown of democracy, the shocking things it has led to in recent times in Europe and the absence of democracy in so many parts of the world. This leads to awful horror. To break down or threaten democracy, even by these subtle and sinister methods, is of horrendous seriousness. Our guests have an extraordinary responsibility in that regard, given their access to 2 billion people.

I share the point raised by Deputy Smith. It is very important. I know the witnesses have said that Facebook will put in protections but I would like them to comment on that again. We want an open, transparent and sensitive debate in the upcoming referendum. Everybody aspires to that. However, we need absolute assurance, and the people watching this today need to know, that there will be no distortion there. The witnesses must convincingly say to us that there will not be. I ask them to explain again, in layman's terms for those of us who are less technologically proficient, precisely how that will be achieved and how people will be so assured.

Again, the same applies to future elections. I understand that the commercial premise by which Facebook functions is that it provides names and information and thereby potential access for advertisers. That is how our witnesses pay their bills. That is a reasonable proposition. At the same time, the fact that this could be distorted or used wrongfully is not acceptable. Can the witnesses tell me how Facebook can allow people to be sure they have prevented the use of their data in an accessible and easily understood way? I do think that we should have the option to opt out. That point has been raised. The witnesses have said that in light of the general data protection regulation, GDPR, Facebook will be going down that road. It is very important for people to have that right.

I want to mention fake accounts. I was personally a victim of this during an election campaign, and I know very few colleagues who were not. Thanks be to God I had the strength of mind and the capacity to deal with it and not be affected, but I know some colleagues on whom it had much more adverse affects. This concerns colleagues across the board. It does not relate to any ideology or party. This is about people and our human sensitivities. The use of fake accounts is a horror, and it really needs policing. People watching today need real reassurance on that score.

They also need real reassurance that if any advertising is directed at them they know where it is coming from and why, especially in the political case. This issue was mentioned earlier when the Data Protection Commissioner was here. In the case of posters, there are names and sources displayed, and the director of elections is written on the poster.

In the case of radio and television, under the Broadcasting Acts there is no specific political advertising. It is a shocking difficulty. There is nobody who would suggest for a moment that Facebook should not do business. We understand that the witnesses should do their job, that they have to pay their bills and that the company has to function. That is not the issue. The issue is how that process works out in practice.