Keogh calls for legislation to enhance online safety measures

Keira Keogh, a first-time Fine Gael candidate in Westport for the local election, advocated for enhanced online safety measures at the recent Fine Gael Ard Fheis. In a compelling motion, Ms Keogh addressed the growing concerns surrounding fraud, identity theft, misinformation, bullying, and trolling rampant on online social media platforms.

During the Ard Fheis, Ms Keogh emphasised the need for greater accountability online. To highlight her point she read aloud directly to Justice Minister Helen McEntee some of the mean comments directed at the deputy in response to a recent tweet. There was an uncomfortable intake of breath in the room before attendees realised Ms Keogh was not really calling for Ms McEntee to resign. Keogh pointed out that these mean tweets were some of the kindest she could find to highlight her point without being offensive. The profile names and faces are unidentifiable, ensuring their composers are devoid of accountability. Ms Keogh pointed out these accounts could be bots or they could be one person creating multiple accounts to troll.

The motion proposed by Ms Keogh at the Ard Fheis called for strategies to incentivise social media platforms to implement robust identity verification measures. She drew parallels to online banking app Revolut and Paddy Power betting, which have successful identity verification practices. She even mentioned online dating platforms like Bumble and Tinder where, although they do not require government ID for verification, there is photo verification which goes some way towards preventing identity fraud.

“We need to protect our vulnerable from cyberbullying, prevent crime by reducing scammers, hackers, and identity thieves, and safeguard democracy from misinformation," asserted Ms Keogh.

The motion received overwhelming support at the Ard Fheis, with fellow Fine Gael candidate Caitríona Bergin seconding the motion, talking about the devastating effects of fraudulent investment opportunities where the ordinary person can think they are talking to a legitimate profile on a path to wealth but can end up losing hundreds and thousands of euro.

Minister McEntee welcomed the motion and mentioned Fine Gael’s commitment to promoting online safety. She spoke of the recently established Coimisiún na Meán and the need to arm them with legislation and resources to combat digital threats.

Keira concluded with a call to action, urging both Fine Gael and social media platform users to pressure companies to adopt additional practices, including identity verification, to mitigate online risks effectively.

“Legislation won't happen overnight, but demand and pressure from Fine Gael and platform users will drive this change,” Keogh concluded.