Policy information
Online Political Advertising in Ireland: Regulation of Transparency
From Department of the Taoiseach
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- Progress Report - Interdepartmental Group on the Security of Ireland's Electoral Process and Disinformation, November 2019
- Open Policy Forum 6 December 2018
- Public Consultation on Regulation of Transparency of Online Political Advertising in Ireland
- First Report - Interdepartmental Group on the Security of Ireland's Electoral Process and Disinformation
- Background - Interdepartmental Group on the Security of Ireland's Electoral Process and Disinformation
On November 5, 2019 the government approved a proposal to Regulate Transparency of Online Political Advertising. The detailed Proposal is outlined in the Progress Report of the Interdepartmental Group on the Security of Ireland’s Electoral Process and Disinformation (IDG) which can be downloaded below.
Progress Report November 2019
Interdepartmental Group on Security of Ireland's Electoral Process and Disinformation, Progress Report November 2019
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An Open Policy Forum on Regulation of Transparency of Online Political Advertising took place in Dublin Castle on Thursday 6 December 2018.
The Forum featured participation by a variety of speakers including from: media and political spheres, online companies, the advertising industry, academia, civil society and the EU Commission.
The Forum was structured into 3 sessions which explored the following issues:
- Advertising in the Political/Electoral Sphere
- Legal Field - Discussion on fundamental rights of freedom of expression, current regulatory frameworks, and comparative approaches to regulation
- Online Communications and Advertising
Speaker's presentation slides can be viewed here.
The programme for the forum can be downloaded below:
A recorded version of the forum can be viewed below:
An event summary report of the Forum is available to download below:
Report-Open Policy Forum 6 December 2018
Report-Open Policy Forum 6 December 2018
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The Public Consultation on Regulation of Transparency of Online Political Advertising was open for submissions from 21 September to 19 October 2018. The submissions received provided a basis for the Open Policy Forum held in December 2018.
The Interdepartmental Group (IDG) on the Security of Ireland’s Electoral Process and Disinformation’s First Report was published in July 2018. It found that risks to the electoral process in Ireland are relatively low. However, the spread of disinformation online and the risk of cyber-attacks on the electoral system pose more substantial risks. This is in line with EU Commission findings and recent international experience. The Report included a number of recommendations to address the gaps and offer a way forward.
The Report was noted by Government and it was agreed a key next step is to regulate transparency of online political advertising.
It was decided by Government in December 2017 to establish the Interdepartmental Group (IDG) on the Security of Ireland’s Electoral Process and Disinformation to consider the issues arising from recent experience in other democratic countries of the use, and misuse, of social media by external, anonymous or hidden third parties.
The IDG is coordinated by the Department of the Taoiseach and membership includes departments and organisations responsible for relevant policy areas.
| Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government |
| Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment |
| Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade |
| Department of Justice and Equality |
| Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation |
| Department of Education and Skills |
| Department of Defence |
| Department of Public Expenditure and Reform |
| An Garda Síochána |
| Defence Forces |