Ahead of the upcoming general election, the Social Democrats have launched their Digital and Online Safety policy, which includes plans to set up a dedicated anti-misinformation force based in the Department of the Taoiseach.
The plan was launched by Dublin Central TD Gary Gannon and the former head of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) Sinéad Gibney, who is running with the Social Democrats as a general election candidate.
“[Sinead Gibney] has considerable expertise in this area and had significant input into the drafting of the policy document,” the party said in a statement.
The document in question claims that “misinformation, disinformation and mal-information are arguably the biggest contemporary threats to our democracy and to the rule of law.”
Notably, the Canadian Government’s Centre for Cybersecurity defines “mal-information” as “information that stems from the truth, but is often exaggerated in a way that misleads and causes potential harm.”
The Social Democrats policy document goes on to urge a “strong State response” to false information online.
“Social media and other internet platforms should be transparent about their content moderation decisions, and do what they can to prevent dangerous disinformation from going viral,” the party said.
“Strong State responses and collaboration are required to mitigate the damage this is doing to our democracy.
“In Government, the Social Democrats will establish a unit in the Department of the Taoiseach and appoint a Chief Information Security Officer to combat the proliferation of misinformation, disinformation and mal-information, working closely with Coimisiún na Meán, The Electoral Commission, and other relevant agencies.”
The 14-page document also contains plans to regulate the usage of AI programs, tackling “algorithms which push violent, extremist and pornographic material to young people”, and more. The full document can be read here.