The Total Death Of Freedom Is Upon You-Sound Familiar?

While we await the enactment into Law the Criminal Justice(Incitement To Violence Or Hatred And Hate Offences) Bill 2022, we already have  plenty to reflect upon other Statutes signed into Law.

The Equal Status Acts 2000-2018 (‘the Acts’) prohibit discrimination in the provision of goods and services, accommodation and education. They cover the nine grounds of gender, marital status, family status, age, disability, sexual orientation, race, religion, and membership of the Traveller community.

Electoral Reform Act 2022
Part 5 of the Act (Regulation of Electoral Process Information, Online Electoral Information and Manipulative or Inauthentic Behaviour) creates new obligations for platforms, including a requirement to notify the Electoral Commission of any disinformation, misinformation or manipulative and inauthentic behaviour.

145. (1) The Commission shall—
(a) protect the fairness and integrity of elections and referendums in accordance with this Part.
(b) monitor, investigate and combat the dissemination of—
(i) disinformation, and
(ii) misinformation,
(c) monitor, investigate, identify and combat manipulative or inauthentic behaviour,
(d) monitor, investigate and identify trends in respect of—
(i) disinformation,
(ii) misinformation, and
(iii) manipulative or inauthentic behaviour,
(e) promote public awareness of misinformation, disinformation and manipulative or inauthentic behaviour and it may establish, facilitate or promote educational or information programmes for the purpose of the performance of its functions under this Part.

Online Safety And Media Regulation Act 2022.

Digital Services Act 2022(European Directive)

Misinformation and Disinformation.

National Counter Disinformation Strategy.

The Irish Government has already decided that Coimisiún na Meán will be the Digital Services Coordinator and enforce the rules set out in the Digital Services Act. This will ensure that at a practical level, there will be strong alignment in the implementation of both the Act and Digital Services  Act requirements.

Go online for more information.