The young Americans trying to stop Ireland from voting Yes to abortion
By Kara Fox, CNN
Wed May 23, 2018
Dublin (CNN) Emily Faulkner is in central Dublin, handing out leaflets featuring fetuses in various stages of development, when she's pelted by an egg.
Covered in yolk, she turns to her fiancé, Nathan Berning, who has a GoPro video camera mounted on his chest.
"Did you get that on tape? Is it on, babe? Turn it on," she says.
Social media under microscope in emotive Irish abortion vote
21 May 2018
DUBLIN (AP) — In homes and pubs, on leaflets and lampposts, debate is raging in Ireland over whether to lift the country's decades-old ban on abortion. Pro-repeal banners declare: "Her choice: vote yes." Anti-abortion placards warn against a "license to kill."
Online, the argument is just as charged — and more shadowy, as unregulated ads of uncertain origin battle to sway voters before Friday's referendum, which could give Irish women the right to end their pregnancies for the first time.
'Dark ads' cast a shadow over Ireland's referendum on abortion
By Kara Fox, CNN
Fri May 18, 2018
Dublin (CNN)Attempts by Facebook and Google to tackle "dark ads" and foreign interference in the run-up to Ireland's referendum on abortion haven't been entirely successful, data from a transparency group seen by CNN has shown.
The Transparent Referendum Initiative (TRI), a volunteer organization set up to monitor social-media posts about the referendum has collected ads from 180 Facebook groups targeting Irish voters.
Continued: https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/18/tech/ireland-abortion-referendum-facebook-google-intl/index.html
Google bans Irish abortion referendum adverts
Decision two weeks before polling day comes amid fears that overseas organisations are targeting voters
Jim Waterson, Media editor
Wed 9 May 2018
Google has banned all adverts relating to the Irish abortion referendum from its platform, amid fears of overseas organisations taking advantage of loopholes in campaign funding laws to target voters before polling day.
The decision will mean an end to advertisements relating to the referendum appearing alongside Google results and on YouTube during the final fortnight of the campaign.
continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/09/google-bans-irish-abortion-referendum-adverts
The Irish Times view on the abortion referendum: The shadow campaign
It is incumbent on all of us to talk with friends and family about what we are seeing online and whether it should be trusted
May 7, 2018
With less than three weeks to go to the referendum on repeal of the Eighth Amendment, concern has been expressed across the political spectrum about the potential impact of unregulated online advertising and of misleading information being disseminated via social media platforms.
Experience elsewhere suggests these digital campaigns are likely to increase in intensity as voting day approaches. Also that it will be impossible to gain a full picture of what is actually happening online before the vote takes place. The nature of targeted digital advertising, particularly on platforms such as Facebook, means certain messages will be restricted to specific demographic groups while remaining invisible to the rest of us.
Rising number of unregulated online ads in abortion campaign
Government may need to seek change in law to govern online campaigning – McEntee
May 2, 2018
Pat Leahy
A Fine Gael Minister, a Fianna Fáil TD and an independent senator have all warned in recent days about the growing proliferation of unregulated online advertisements in the abortion referendum campaign.
Minister for European Affairs Helen McEntee said Government may need to seek a change in the law to govern online campaigning in the future, but encouraged Yes campaigners to “call out” misleading or false advertising by No campaigners.
Facebook action too late for abortion vote
Ellen Coyne, Senior Ireland Reporter
April 9 2018
Measures to tackle international organisations seeking to influence elections will not apply to the referendum on the Eighth Amendment, Facebook has confirmed.
The network, which is profiting from unknown anti-abortion groups running misleading advertisements before next month’s vote, admitted over the weekend that it had been slow to pick up foreign interference in the 2016 US election. It announced measures to make political adverts more transparent, but they will not be in place in Ireland until later this year at the earliest.
Continued: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/facebook-action-too-late-for-abortion-vote-225vpvlpz
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