Dáil debates

Wednesday, 13 December 2017

Online Advertising and Social Media (Transparency) Bill 2017: Second Stage [Private Members]

 

4:45 pm

Photo of Jack ChambersJack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank my colleague, Deputy Lawless, for his work in publishing the Online Advertising and Social Media (Transparency) Bill. As Deputy Cassells mentioned, this has an important international context. US and Russian media bots with fake accounts sought to influence, manipulate and dent the democratic process. In the Irish context we are seeing the democratic process itself try to dent reality and news. We saw similar fraudulent online accounts with Brexit. This tsunami and splurge of online influencing seeks to undermine democracies. We are calling for accountability and transparency in that.

It is important that we modernise and progress what is fundamental in a 21st century democracy. The Bill focuses on ensuring transparency over the source of political advertising. If the Electoral Act 1992 requires transparency on posters, why can it not be brought online and why can the Government not support this important Bill?

The source of information and political advertising were traditionally always clear and transparent and codified in law. The Bill seeks to upgrade that to an online context which will only continue to grow. It is welcome that Government and political parties advertise online: no one has a difficulty with that. However, it is important that we see the source of the information so we know the motivational context in which that information is displayed. People need to assess the source of that information so they can assess its reliability, its background and its context. If the US people knew that Russian bots were funding and trying to undermine their democratic process, they would have had a different view of the information itself.

The strategic communications unit has been mentioned. It is interesting that one of the first things the Taoiseach sought to do was not to establish a strategic healthcare unit, a strategic education unit or a strategic housing unit; it was to establish a strategic communications unit. He said, "Communication to our citizens is an essential public service". However, it seems the programming and the attempt to cocoon and silo communications to the people through this communications unit is trying to undermine other core public services that he should be prioritising ahead of this spin unit.

The Government is using a legislative vacuum to normalise poor policy outcomes in key areas to try to fool the people. It also represents and reflects a worrying politicisation of the Civil Service when we have a political unit at the core of the Department of the Taoiseach, operating to the benefit of the Taoiseach and what he wants to spin. It is a strategic propaganda unit, a strategic political unit, a strategic diversionary unit and a strategic distraction unit that puts socks over substance. It is a shame on the Office of Taoiseach that he is promoting this unit ahead of other policy outcomes that should be at the core of his office.

I welcome the Bill which should be supported by all sides in this House in order that we can see transparency in political advertising and not the diversionary tactics we are seeing from the Office of the Taoiseach today.

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