Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 January 2026
167. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to detail how principle D of the National Counter Disinformation Strategy, which focuses on corporate accountability and regulatory enforcement, will be implemented in respect of AI-driven platforms (details supplied)t; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4054/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraPrinciple D of the National Counter Disinformation Strategy is to ensure there is effective implementation and enforcement of existing legislation and regulation relevant to countering disinformation. It notes that digital technologies may be used by bad actors to spread disinformation at speed. Measures to counter this, and the spread of illegal content, should uphold the lawful use of personal data and ethical business models. The principle highlights the value of high quality news media, that platforms need to fulfil their regulatory obligations, that regulators must be adequately resourced and the importance of implementing the Digital Services Act in Ireland as it pertains to research and access to data.
The Strategy sets out, at Commitment 6, a range of actions designed to support that principle. These actions include implementation and enforcement of the GDPR and the DSA, in particular, the Code of Conduct on Disinformation under the DSA, as well as EU regulations on electoral disinformation and political advertising. My Department published an update on progress on implementation of the Strategy in December 2025, including on the actions in Commitment 6. It is for the relevant regulators, which are independent in the exercise of their functions, to implement relevant legislation and regulation.
The Strategy, which was published in April 2025, considers AI in the context of regulation and refers, amongst other things, to the EU Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act, which entered into force on 2 August 2024, and will apply in a phased manner over the period to August 2027. The EU AI Act Is being implemented in Ireland through primary legislation, led by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment.
Part of the challenge of countering disinformation is that new technologies, including AI, make it easier to produce inauthentic content and thus harder for people to judge the reliability of such content. So it is important, as highlighted in the Strategy, that regulation and legislation is enforced, but also that we promote resilience in people through education and awareness, high quality journalism and media pluralism.
In line with the Programme for Government, €1.1 million in Exchequer funding was announced in Budget 2026 to help implementation of the strategy with supports for media literacy, fact-checking and research initiatives. Relatedly, an additional €1m was secured for both the News Reporting Scheme and for the Digital Transformation Scheme, bringing the totals available for those schemes to €5m and €4m respectively.
