Ireland – Facebook ‘took matters into own hands’ over pro-life ads

Facebook ‘took matters into own hands’ over pro-life ads
Social media site opted to ban foreign influences in referendum on eighth amendment after Irish officials failed to offer legal guidance, claims chief Mark Zuckerberg

Brian Mahon
July 14 2019
The Sunday Times

Mark Zuckerberg, the chairman and chief executive of Facebook, has revealed his company consulted Irish officials about whether to allow pro-life ads from America on the social media platform during last year’s abortion referendum.

Speaking at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado in June, Zuckerberg said that in response to his request for guidance, his company was told to take whatever decision it saw fit.

Continued: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/ireland/facebook-took-matters-into-own-hands-over-pro-life-ads-jbct26vnk

14.07.2019

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‘Dark ads’ cast a shadow over Ireland’s referendum on abortion

'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

Facebook bans foreign ads for Eighth Amendment referendum

Facebook bans foreign ads for Eighth Amendment referendum
Social media group says move is designed protect the ’integrity’ of elections and referendums from ’undue influence’

May 8, 2018
Ciara O'Brien

Facebook will no longer accept foreign advertisements relating to the upcoming referendum on the Eighth Amendment. The ban will apply to ads that have been paid for by organisations outside Ireland.

The move, which came into force on Tuesday, comes amid concerns that organisations and individuals based outside the country would try to influence the outcome of the referendum through Facebook ad campaigns.

Continued: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/abortion-referendum/facebook-bans-foreign-ads-for-eighth-amendment-referendum-1.3487895

American Pro-Lifers Are Using Facebook To Sway Ireland’s Abortion Debate

American Pro-Lifers Are Using Facebook To Sway Ireland's Abortion Debate

By Jason Murdock
On 4/26/18

Facebook accounts managed by pro-life activists living in the U.S. are reportedly being used to influence the opinions of voters ahead of Ireland’s May 25 referendum on repealing the country’s strict abortion ban.

On Wednesday, Facebook launched a new transparency tool in Ireland designed to provide clarity over how ads are served, but admitted that because it was still in the pilot stage it would not yet show who was funding them.

Continued: http://www.newsweek.com/american-pro-lifers-are-using-facebook-sway-irelands-abortion-debate-902355

Foreign and ‘alt-right’ activists target Irish voters on Facebook ahead of abortion referendum

Foreign and 'alt-right' activists target Irish voters on Facebook ahead of abortion referendum

Claire Provost and Lara Whyte
25 April 2018

New data shows how social media has become a battleground in a transatlantic backlash against abortion rights for Irish women.

Under Irish law, foreign citizens and groups are not allowed to make donations to Irish campaign groups. But these rules don't apply to advertising on social media platforms, prompting campaigners to call for an urgent change in the law

Continued: https://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/claire-provost-lara-whyte/north-american-anti-abortion-facebook-ireland-referendum

Irish abortion vote tests Facebook and campaign data

Facebook is rolling out transparency measures during the Irish campaign to see what happens when all users can see political advertising.

By Sarah Wheaton and Mark Scott
4/24/18

DUBLIN — Ireland’s soul-searching debate over whether to change its constitution and allow women to terminate their pregnancies coincides with a ballooning transatlantic scandal surrounding Facebook and the use of personal data in political advertising.

Irish voters go to the polls May 25 to decide whether to repeal the country’s abortion ban. With the campaign heating up, lawmakers hauled Facebook executives before parliament to grill them about how to prevent people’s personal information from being used to manipulate them online.

Continued: https://www.politico.eu/article/ireland-abortion-referendum-may-25-facebook-advertising-save-the-8th-repeal-the-8th/

Ireland – Facebook action too late for abortion vote

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