Results 2,061-2,080 of 7,126 for speaker:Alan Farrell

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Alan Farrell: Good morning and welcome everyone to this meeting of the Joint Committee on Children and Youth Affairs. This morning in session one we will hear from representatives of Facebook on the topic of cybersecurity for children and young adults and in session 2 we will hear from the Ombudsman for Children on the annual report for 2016. In session one representatives from Facebook will make a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Alan Farrell: I thank the witnesses very much for their contributions. We will open up with Deputy Funchion.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Alan Farrell: Do our witnesses wish to respond?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Alan Farrell: What is Ms Sweeney's definition of a fake account? It is important for us all to understand her definition.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Alan Farrell: Before I let Deputy Mitchell in, one of the comments the witnesses made sparked a thought on photographic imagery, particularly that which is taken by others. Ms Cummiskey mentioned that overlaying of text on a photograph is banned. Presumably, it has to be reported. I can think of dozens of examples of people in this room, in public life, who are inundated with that sort of stuff, not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Alan Farrell: It includes myself and many others over years. It is problematic. We are politicians and we have thick skins, but if applied to a child or young person, it is clearly difficult. How quickly does that process take place? How many people does Facebook have assigned to it? Is it centralised, globalised or how is it done? I have regularly seen videos on Facebook, including in my...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Alan Farrell: Ms Cummiskey said Facebook would remove mocking comments, but what about the video itself?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Alan Farrell: Before the next witness comes in, I ask the committee to agree to Deputy Neville taking the Chair for a couple of minutes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Alan Farrell: I thank the witnesses. While I will do my best to focus on the committee's hearings on children, youth affairs and cybersecurity, fake news is a big issue for social media platforms, including the witnesses' own platform, although it is not as organised here as the much written about events of November 2016 in the United States. I am coming at the sort of incendiary article which can pop up...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Alan Farrell: It is not necessarily hate speech, unfortunately. It can be more insidious than that. It can be poking fun at or mocking something or someone or it can be an issue of so-called false positives, as Ms Sweeney has mentioned a couple of times.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Alan Farrell: Not just news articles. I am sorry. Perhaps Ms Sweeney missed the nuance. I was referencing fake news, not specifically asking about it. I am referring to that sort of mimicry and the suggestion within a post on Facebook that the poster means something which they clearly do not, which is taken up as a negative and is therefore a form of bullying in itself. My question was about the sorts...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Alan Farrell: I will just ask a series of quick questions if the witnesses would not mind answering. Does Facebook vet advertisements? I am talking about content. Are they vetted and at what level?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Alan Farrell: I am aware that nudity is not permitted on the witnesses' platform, but I think it is very clear from certain cases that nudity is on it, but in private messages. That has been illustrated on many occasions, both in the public domain in respect of a Member of the House in recent months and also in respect of children. It is very problematic when there is a rule for public posts which is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Alan Farrell: I refer to a point I raised at the very beginning of the meeting about fighting on line. I think Deputy Denise Mitchell covered the matter very well during her contribution. The particular fight I am referring to occurred in May 2015 in Balbriggan. It was an advertised event, in so far as I have been informed and from my recollection, an event was set up. It is no longer on Facebook but...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Alan Farrell: It was a pre-organised brawl.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Alan Farrell: As am I.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Alan Farrell: A number of comments were made on the service that Facebook provides. The platform that Facebook provides to the world is very positive. As Deputy Rabbitte has said it is about friends and connections and not about the abuse and nonsense that goes on. Human nature is as it is. In general social media is a very important tool not just in terms of keeping connections with loved ones around...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Ombudsman for Children Annual Report: Discussion (6 Dec 2017)

Alan Farrell: I thank the Ombudsman for Children, Dr. Niall Muldoon, Dr. Karen McCawley and Ms Nuala Ward for attending this morning and waiting patiently. At their request, the committee has agreed to defer our hearing on their 2016 annual report until a date to be decided in the new year. My sincere apologies for the delay in bringing them before the committee and I look forward to meeting them in the...

Permanent Structured Cooperation: Motion (7 Dec 2017)

Alan Farrell: Does the Deputy not serve the people of Tipperary?

Permanent Structured Cooperation: Motion (7 Dec 2017)

Alan Farrell: The Deputy has many masters then.