Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

If we are trusting the discretion of the commission in this regard, I would trust the commission to be acting only as appropriate in this context as well. When we have bad online practices, such as those we have been discussing, one of the aspects that is taken advantage of is a lack of media literacy, online skills and awareness of people's rights, and what is or is not appropriate in respect of targeting. Again, I refer to empowering people concerning their digital skills. We have principles in law here sometimes where those most impacted in a particular situation benefit. I refer to people experiencing online harms in this context. Those with a high level of digital skills may know to turn off every possible privacy-endangering function, to say "No" to options and to go through the privacy policies and to deselect everything possible. The people with those skills are less likely to be harmed than people who have not been supported to develop the same level of skills. Therefore, enabling people to learn these types of skills would ensure less impact in this regard. Again, however, I accept we are not going to progress this aspect now. I will come back to this issue. In general, I am concerned that Ireland is pushing ahead strongly on the digital space without properly empowering a large proportion of our citizens.