Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to be associated with the remarks on John Connor. My sympathies go to his family on the shock and suddenness of his loss which no doubt will be a terrible tragedy to his family and friends and all those who knew him.

Over recent days that most elusive of things has occurred, that being that X actually managed to take action on an event that broke its community rules. It was an existential act on its part because the event happened to be the publication of deep fake photographs of Taylor Swift. Given her prominence in the world, it actually took action on it, but only after the account that published the photographs, which were particularly heinous apparently - I have not seen any of them - were viewed more than 43 million times. There is the capacity now for anyone in public life or anyone at all, even in private and social enterprise, to have videos or photographs of them created that misrepresent them, that use the intellectual property that is their own face and persona, and that abuse that with messaging that is offensive and downright wrong. While X acted on this occasion, we know of many occasions when it does not. Many of us in this Chamber have made complaints that were not responded to by X. It took no action. It was completely irresponsible on the day of the Dublin riots.

I would like a debate and statements in this House on the state of social media. We are facing into elections, into the possibility of economic enterprises being attacked in such a way through deep fake. We need watermarking and all of these things. The Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, needs to come into the House and update us on where all the plans that were set in motion are at now.