Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to welcome the Covid-19 app and I hope its use will grow. I must confess that I was somewhat cautious when I heard about it as it was being planned. I was very nervous regarding the privacy implications. Last night, when I downloaded the app I read about the extensive data privacy impact assessment that was done. I also read the privacy notice published about it. It is very heartening to know the care taken with regard to privacy by design. It is a very interesting and useful example of the public policy and public need requirements of maintaining and promoting our safety and health in the middle of a global pandemic being balanced against the need for privacy. I would like to think the development of the app, and the great success I hope it will be as more and more use it, gives us a heartening example of the experience of balancing privacy against public need. I would like this example applied in the use of social media. My colleagues have spoken about the Minister becoming a target on social media. We have a very difficult issue with social media being weaponised to silence people but it is not being legislated for and sufficient guidelines or oversight are not in place because of the need for freedom of speech. During our time in this Seanad, I would like us to address this and call in the appropriate Minister as time goes on to deal with it. We need transparency in the registration of social media accounts. We cannot continue to have a situation where it is used to target and to silence in a sinister way.