A Social Democrats TD has drawn criticism for suggesting that entire websites should be shut down to prevent the spread of harmful content – a proposal likened to something from a “totalitarian regime.”
Speaking during a panel debate on Virgin Media’s The Tonight Show this week, Dublin Rathdown TD Sinead Gibney, who is the Social Democrats’ spokesperson on communications, said that the State could prevent websites from running at a “domain level.”
The remarks were made during a discussion on the regulation of the technology sector and the recent controversies surrounding the AI model Grok, which is linked to Elon Musk’s social media platform X.
In response to Gibney’s proposal to take down overall products, the programme’s host Shane Coleman questioned whether such an approach was appropriate.
“Is that a desirable outcome?” Coleman asked.
“I mean, that sounds like something from a totalitarian regime, does it not?”
Gibney defended her stance by comparing digital products to physical goods that are recalled if they are found to be defective.
“No, I think people compare it to, for example, if a car seat is faulty, it gets recalled,” Gibney said.
“If a car seat is faulty, these days, it doesn’t even get into the cars in the first place because there are so many rigorous standards that it has to meet.
“These products are pushed onto us, pushed into our lives and pushed into our children’s lives before they are safe, and they remain there when they are not safe.”
The idea of shutting down social media companies was rejected by Fine Gael senator and Seanad leader Garrett Ahearn, who claimed that such a “radical” decision was not a good policy.
However, Gibney immediately interrupted to clarify her position, stating: “I’m not saying shutting down the companies.” She added that specific tools like “the Grok AI could have been injuncted.”
Ahearn continued by highlighting the potential economic impact on the technology sector.
“Those companies are employing people in this country, obviously,” Ahearn said.
“But we need to bring stronger measures, and that’s what the Minister is committed to doing.”
The latest exchange follows previous comments made by the TD regarding the State’s role in controlling online spaces.
As reported by Gript in January of this year, Gibney told a Joint Oireachtas Committee on Online Safety that the State could consider nationalising online platforms to advance its own goals.
During the committee meeting, she argued that publicly owned platforms could push ideas that were in the public interest rather than prioritising profit.
“If we had an ability to exert public interest on those algorithms, we could flip the entire online space on its head,” she said.
“We could have it designed to promote social cohesion, lifelong learning, mental health well-being – whatever we choose to do – and allow the tech companies to work within that framework.”