Meta meets Oireachtas Committee privately to discuss moderation policies for public figures

In a closed-door session, Meta met with the Oireachtas Media Committee to discuss moderation policies concerning individuals in the public eye.

During the meeting, discussions included Meta’s rationale for lower protection for public figures, questions on community standards enforcement, and exploration of social media companies’ obligations under relevant legislation such as the Digital Services Act and Online Safety and Media Regulation Act. It also touched on issues like combating polarization, disinformation, and the use of AI for content moderation.

Meta contends that its bullying and harassment rules differentiate between public figures and private individuals. The distinction is intended to enable discussions, including critical commentary, on individuals featured in the news or those with a substantial public following.

Fianna Fáil Senator Malcolm Byrne deemed the engagement ‘useful and productive,’ the committee is set to meet with Twitter/X on similar topics in a private session in February.

Why does it matter?

This occurs shortly after a survey in Ireland indicates that most of the population (74%) favors more stringent regulations concerning social media platforms, particularly in implementing algorithms for recommender systems, due to concerns about their role in promoting harmful content, hate speech, and extremism. In the past, Ireland has also expressed concerns about content moderation regarding public figures. For example, to address the safety of politicians, a task force was set up last year, focusing specifically on addressing the abuse faced by politicians, both in-person and online.