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Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said he has “no issue” with research being conducted into the potential impact that misinformation and disinformation regulations could have on free speech.
Speaking to Gript outside Government Buildings ahead of this week’s Cabinet meeting, the Fianna Fáil Taoiseach was questioned about the Government’s approach to misinformation and disinformation regulation after his Department previously confirmed that no analysis had been carried out on the potential free speech implications of such measures.
Gript asked Martin whether it was responsible to pursue regulations relating to misinformation and disinformation without first examining how they might affect freedom of expression.
In response, Martin pointed to Ireland’s standing on international measures of free speech.
“I think if you look at all the global indexes, Ireland scores very, very highly on freedom of speech,” he said.
“You know, I think there is no – you look at any international metric that measures freedom of speech in any country, Ireland is in the top ten, certainly in the top five, if not higher than that, in terms of free media, and in terms of people’s capacity to challenge governments, and all of that.
“So, I think we need to keep that debate in perspective.”
Gript then asked whether some form of analysis should be conducted to ensure that future regulations concerning misinformation and disinformation could not be misused.
During the exchange, Martin sought clarification on which regulations were being referenced before being told that misinformation and disinformation are mentioned nine times in the Programme for Government and form part of the Government’s broader policy agenda.
The Taoiseach said he would have no objection to research being carried out on the issue.
“Yeah, I have no issue with research into that,” Martin said.
“But let’s be clear, we do know misinformation is happening. There is a lot of disinformation. There is a lot of misinformation.”
He argued that misinformation had become a significant issue on social media and was creating difficulties across Europe.
“People are very conscious of that, in terms of social media in particular, and it is causing very significant challenges for societies all over Europe, and indeed, Ireland is no exception to that,” he said.
“And we do have to be very cautious and conscious in relation to it.”
When asked whether he would raise the issue with Communications Minister Patrick O’Donovan, Martin did not respond before moving on to other questions.
The exchange follows a previous confirmation from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications that it had not undertaken any analysis or research into the potential impact of misinformation and disinformation laws on free speech.
As reported by Gript earlier, a Department spokesperson stated: “The Department has not undertaken any analysis or research on the potential impact of mis/disinformation laws on free speech.”
The Programme for Government contains multiple references to tackling misinformation and disinformation, while Ireland has already introduced several measures aimed at addressing harmful online content.
The Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022 established Coimisiún na Meán, which has powers relating to online safety regulation. Ireland is also subject to the provisions of the Digital Services Act, which imposes obligations on major online platforms regarding content moderation and transparency.
The Electoral Reform Act 2022 also contains definitions of misinformation and disinformation in an electoral context and grants powers to An Coimisiún Toghcháin in relation to online political advertising and electoral disinformation.
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