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Calls for fines and gardaí after undercover report about Facebook moderation in Dublin

Channel 4′s Dispatches programme sent a reporter to record training.

https://www.facebook.com/Channel4/videos/2547204218638776/

FIANNA FÁIL’S TIMMY Dooley has said that the “only way” to ensure that Facebook removes offensive material from the website is by fining them for not doing so.

The party’s communications spokesperson said he believes an Irish digital safety commissioner should have the power to sanction and fine Facebook if it ignored policies put in place here.

Dooley was responding to a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary that aired last night in which a reporter was sent to work as a content moderator for Facebook in Dublin. The programme claimed thousands of reported posts remained unmoderated and on the site, including posts relating to suicide threats and self-harm.

In a blog post on Facebook, the company acknowledged that some of the contents of the programme fell short of “the high standards we expect”.

The fact that recordings were taken in Ireland has prompted politicians to say that more must be done in Ireland to police content on multinational websites based here.

PastedImage-88154 Twitter / AlanFarrell Twitter / AlanFarrell / AlanFarrell

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Dooley said that sanctions would only apply to content that was reported to Facebook and not removed.

It’s about establishing codes of practice for the digital platforms such as Facebook and others, and then providing that digital commissioner with the powers to sanction Facebook, so when there’s a request to remove offensive material and when Facebook behind the scenes adjudges that their interest, that it’s in their financial interest to keep it up there, and if it flies in the face of national policies established by a digital safety commissioner, that they would be sanctioned and fined.

“It seems to me, because their business model is about generating very significant profits through advertising around this kind of content, that the only way that you’re going to bring Facebook to heel here is to put in place appropriate sanctions and appropriate fines,” he added.

In the Dispatches programme, one video featured a video a man punching and stamping on a toddler.

The video was used during the undercover reporter’s training as an example of something that would only be removed from the site if it was posted with a celebratory caption.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Seán O’Rourke programme, Tanya Ward of the Children’s Rights Alliance said that such videos should be brought to the attention of gardaí, even if such incidents happened abroad.

“In this particular case I do think we need to look at whether there are sufficient safeguards to make sure that reports are being made available both to gardaí and to Túsla,” she said.

Because the gardaí themselves actually have powers to investigate crimes and offences that may have been committed against children in other countries and they have protocols in place, particularly at European level, for transferring information like this.

In the Dispatches programme, Facebook said it does escalate these issues and contact law enforcement.

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    Mute Alan Rothwell
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    Jul 18th 2018, 11:08 AM

    That headline doesn’t make sense.
    “Calls for fines and Gardai”??

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    Mute Terry Cahill
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    Jul 18th 2018, 12:13 PM

    @Alan Rothwell: it’s the Journal, make allowances .

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    Mute Kevin Kane
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    Jul 18th 2018, 12:52 PM

    @Alan Rothwell: *Gardai intervention

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    Mute Margate
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    Jul 18th 2018, 1:43 PM

    @Alan Rothwell: exactly my thoughts…very careless ” journalism”…

    13
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    Mute Sean Higgins
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    Jul 18th 2018, 11:38 AM

    I think I’ve got it now,

    Media broadcast story,
    Politician watches story,
    Other media contact politician for story on story,
    Media gets story on story, politician gets exposure
    And we will do it all over again tomorrow………

    83
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    Mute Mark Gearey
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    Jul 18th 2018, 12:06 PM

    @Sean Higgins: That’s a pretty accurate breakdown but the complication is that there are also real issues involved. It might be unfortunate or less than ideal but politicians and journalists are part of how we find out about stuff and address it. I guess private citizens could do investigative journalism and political lobbying in their spare time or we could let these internet giants police themselves.

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    Mute ktsiwot
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    Jul 18th 2018, 10:53 AM

    I think I have said it before to only to stop facebook is through a class action that will hit them for billions, sadly that is not possible here, however at a minimum such posts should be made illegal with fines and criminal culpability, only then will they moderate it.

    78
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    Mute Kal Ipers
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    Jul 18th 2018, 11:00 AM

    @ktsiwot: Why not charge the people who create and post it?

    82
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    Mute DJ François
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    Jul 18th 2018, 11:01 AM

    @ktsiwot: Even better would be if people didn’t use it.

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    Mute Lisa Byrne
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    Jul 18th 2018, 12:04 PM

    I wish that politicians made facebook pay their, correct amount of tax in this country, to be socially responsible, I wish Leo implemented a digital tax, I wish this tax was used to better or society, more gardai, nurses etc

    29
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    Mute Liam Doyle
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    Jul 18th 2018, 11:15 AM

    What’s the obsession with Facebook? Is offensive material on Facebook more offensive than if it’s on YouTube, Reddit, or PornHub?

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    Mute David Knight
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    Jul 18th 2018, 11:42 AM

    @Liam Doyle: Spot on! And offensive to who??

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    Mute DJ François
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    Jul 18th 2018, 11:47 AM

    @David Knight: I find videos of kids being abused pretty offensive

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    Mute Denis McClean
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    Jul 18th 2018, 12:10 PM

    @DJ François: Sure, but where does it all stop. There are infamous pictures of children being shot by snipers but if they are not published we will never know. This Nanny State nonsense goes too far.

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    Mute DJ François
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    Jul 18th 2018, 12:16 PM

    @Denis McClean: Damn nanny state, interfering with kids being beaten

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    Mute Denis McClean
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    Jul 18th 2018, 12:22 PM

    @DJ François: If pictures of children being beaten are hidden from public view, you can be sure more children will be beaten.

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    Mute Karl
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    Jul 20th 2018, 2:25 AM

    @Denis McClean: nonsense. It’s a crime, it will be investigated REGARDLESS of your knowledge

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    Mute PV Nevin
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    Jul 18th 2018, 11:11 AM

    So what is the agenda of
    Channel 4? Given the turn to internet censorship by internet behemoths one would be naive to consider the Dispatches programme as motivated by concern for vulnerable people.
    The state intends to close down political discussion.
    “For an international coalition to fight internet censorship”
    http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/01/23/pers-j23.html#pk_campaign=sidebar&pk_kwd=textlink

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    Mute DJ François
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    Jul 18th 2018, 11:45 AM

    @PV Nevin: There is a difference between censoring political discourse and allowing videos of children being beaten.

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    Mute PV Nevin
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    Jul 18th 2018, 1:37 PM

    @DJ François: if you think Facebook, Channel 4 or the state have slightest concern for vulnerable children or adults you are deceived. What is “political discourse”, as you cal it, for? The defence of society lies in our own hands. The state and the corporations wish to deny us “discourse” so as to emasculate opposition to them. These same state and corporate entities have no compunction at all in wreaking havoc and misery every day throughout the world. And they are to protect children? You are the biggest fool if you believe that.

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    Mute DJ François
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    Jul 18th 2018, 4:36 PM

    @PV Nevin: So what is your solution? The revolution from the left isn’t coming anytime soon

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    Mute Joseph Dempsey
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    Jul 18th 2018, 11:36 AM

    It’s extraordinary Mark Zuckerberg who claims he created FB to connect people and have a positive impact on the world, hasn’t yet grasped the absolute Monster he has created. I went off it years ago (this account for Journal only), decided after a recent reunion to set up again and was shocked at how few of previous contacts are still on the platform, if my experience is but a representative stat, FB must be loosing million’s of subscribers.

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    Mute Dave Doyle
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    Jul 18th 2018, 12:07 PM

    FB has been very useful for promoting political activism. It was used to expose the lies abiut the water charges. Used to organise the water protests. Has exposed many of the scandals surrounding FG and FF governments. Has exposed the corruption that is NAMA. Carries the reports about the investigations and potential charges against some people in Nama. We see the news that Irish MSM refuses to publish on FB.
    Now wonder any trick in the book is going to be pulled to shut it down or censor it.
    It does not serve the political establishment.

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    Mute Dave Doyle
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    Jul 18th 2018, 3:07 PM

    @Clever Jake: In other words, you support censorship.

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    Mute Denis McClean
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    Jul 18th 2018, 12:18 PM

    Let’s eliminate traffic accidents by introducing a fine of $1 Million for anyone who has one.

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    Mute Cathal Murphy
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    Jul 18th 2018, 1:15 PM

    (from the video): “there’s no attack actually on the negro boy, it’s implied.”

    Is the attack not on the daughter being drowned in the pool? An actual attack on a “negro boy” would be banned, but drowning a girl is fine…

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    Mute Shakka1244
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    Jul 18th 2018, 1:53 PM

    @Cathal Murphy: She is white so it’s not offensive

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    Mute Karl
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    Jul 20th 2018, 2:32 AM

    @Cathal Murphy: found that odd as well, what attack is even implied? Racism but then killing your daughter, that’s cool cause she’s a white racist’s child? Very odd thinking

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    Mute Sean
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    Jul 18th 2018, 12:56 PM

    Facebook has said they were mistakes but it would seem evident from last nights program that it is influenced by policy.

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    Mute james cullen
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    Jul 19th 2018, 12:22 AM

    I watched 5 minutes of it until the video of that man beating the child and I had to turn it off because it was so upsetting.

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