Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 June 2026
102. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the measures he is taking to address the role of online platforms in facilitating the circulation of misinformation; the steps being taken to strengthen oversight, accountability and public protection in the circulation of misinformation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44569/26]
View answerThere is now a significant body of legislation providing the foundation for Ireland’s online safety framework with Coimisiún na Meán at its heart. As Ireland's independent online safety and media regulator, An Coimisiún is responsible for Ireland's Online Safety Code, is a competent authority under the EU Terrorist Content Online Regulation and is Ireland’s Digital Services Coordinator under the EU Digital Services Act, working with the European Commission, which is lead regulator for very large online platforms and search engines.
The framework enables Coimisiún na Meán to investigate systemic risks on platforms and make sure that platforms have processes and systems in place to reduce the availability of inappropriate, harmful and illegal online content, including disinformation. Since its establishment in March 2023, An Coimisiún has grown from around 40 staff to around 300 staff, which is indicative of the level of commitment to addressing online safety, including mis and disinformation.
The European Commission is investigating a number of platforms in respect of potential breaches of the DSA. For example, on 18 December 2023 the Commission opened formal proceedings to assess whether X may have breached the DSA in areas linked to the dissemination of illegal content and the effectiveness of the measures taken to combat information manipulation. In December 2025, the Commission fined X €120 million for various breaches of DSA obligations, including that its ‘blue checkmark' for ‘verified accounts' deceives users, exposing them to manipulation by malicious actors.
At a national level, the National Counter Disinformation Strategy was published in April 2025. The strategy sets out 9 commitments and 36 actions to help counter this complex issue. It highlights the importance of strengthening people's resilience to disinformation, implementing and enforcing regulations, coordination and collaboration between stakeholders, promoting high-quality journalism and media plurality and conducting research in countering disinformation. Implementation of the Strategy is being accelerated in 2026 with the disbursement of the €1.1 million in funding which I secured in Budget 2026 to support media literacy, research and fact-checking.
