Disinformation

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#Disinformation

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>People share false claims to signal in-group allegiance, a phenomenon researchers describe as 'identity-based motivation'.</p>

comment-analysis

Why people believe misinformation even when they are told the facts

Factchecking is seen as a go-to method for tackling the spread of false information, but it often fails when used in isolation. Research suggests that misinformation is not just a content problem, but an emotional and structural one, writes Kelly Fincham

<p>The unrest at Citywest last year. The ESRI report found that 'misperceptions predicted more negative attitudes to immigration'. </p>

news

Inaccurate public discourse plays major role in 'widespread' misconceptions on immigration in Ireland

<p> Art O'Leary, CEO of the Electoral Commission, expects we will see significantly more fake videos like the one of then-presidential candidate Catherine Connolly when it comes to election time. Photo: Moya Nolan</p>

spotlight

Disinformation, the electoral register, abuse of politicians: The issues facing the Electoral Commission

Using mobile phone

news

More of us doubting online information but many don't check its accuracy, CSO says

Suspected arson attack on Meath pharmacy 'an attack on the whole community'

court and crime

Suspected arson attack on Meath pharmacy 'an attack on the whole community'

Australia's Social Media Ban for Children Under 16

companies

Fake AI-generated ads are on the rise, and TikTok is helping to create them

Former Defence Forces officers say Ireland is under threat and may be at the mercy of drones

Former Defence Forces officers say Ireland is under threat and may be at the mercy of drones

Ireland has been left scrambling to catch up amid the heated geopolitical situation and the emergence of 'hybrid warfare'

Sat, 13 Dec, 2025

Social media rage bait — and why we're compelled to click on the angriest posts online

Social media rage bait — and why we're compelled to click on the angriest posts online

As Oxford University Press names ‘rage bait’ its word of the year, Jonathan Este examines the strange addiction to links that anger us

Sat, 13 Dec, 2025

General Stock - Newspapers

Ireland joins EU initiative to counter disinformation and safeguard democratic resilience

Ireland supports the European Democracy Shield, a new framework to protect reliable news, independent media, and democratic resilience

Wed, 03 Dec, 2025

Misleading online posts prompt thousands of enquiries about State's 'Our Living Islands' initiative

Misleading online posts prompt thousands of enquiries about State's 'Our Living Islands' initiative

The initiative continues to pop up in viral social media posts promising a new life backed by a hefty government grant

Mon, 01 Dec, 2025

Congress Kennedy

Gareth O'Callaghan: Vaccination is vital for people with chronic illness as covid and flu season returns

Gareth O'Callaghan on living with COPD, the return of flu and covid, and why vaccine misinformation — especially from RFK Jr — puts vulnerable people at risk

Sat, 29 Nov, 2025

Russia Syria

Michael McGrath: We must defend our democratic values together

Citizens in Cork and Galway are just as exposed to sinister anti-democratic activism as those in Vilnius or Warsaw, writes EU commissioner Michael McGrath

Thu, 20 Nov, 2025

Presidential election faced online threats amid sustained attacks on democracy worldwide

Presidential election faced online threats amid sustained attacks on democracy worldwide

Unwary voters could easily be incited to act on the basis of plausible misinformation spread online via social media, write Ciarán O’Connor and Edel McGinley

Mon, 10 Nov, 2025

Muslims in Ireland 'living in fear of far-right extremists'

Muslims in Ireland 'living in fear of far-right extremists'

Government 'must act on hatred' as gardaí increase focus on extremism amid alleged intention by a violent right-wing group to bomb a mosque

Mon, 10 Nov, 2025

Social media's 'spoil the vote' campaign helped spread disinformation, report says

Social media's 'spoil the vote' campaign helped spread disinformation, report says

The Institute for Strategic Dialogue and Hope and Courage Collective said there was 'an online environment in which anti-migrant and anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments were expressed as supposed defences of democracy or moral order'

Mon, 03 Nov, 2025

Technology Stock - Social Media

Mick Clifford: Simon Harris should weigh his words about immigration more carefully

In the social media age we must speak carefully on topics about which a flood of misinformation is already being used to stir up outrage

Sun, 02 Nov, 2025

State's hate crime awareness campaign in 'planning' stage despite 2023 target launch date

State's hate crime awareness campaign in 'planning' stage despite 2023 target launch date

The justice minister has been inundated with emails and letters from frightened immigrants in the wake of attacks on, and harassment of, members of the Indian community

Sat, 11 Oct, 2025

UK organisations urged to boost cyber attack defences

China and North Korea linked to cybercrime groups targeting Ireland

EU cyber agency ENISA said Russian state cyber groups continuously targeted EU states with cyberespionage but found no reported incidents of Russian activity in Ireland

Sun, 05 Oct, 2025

Fine Gael party think-in

Meta removes AI deepfake scam video of Fine Gael's Heather Humphreys

Meta has removed a fraudulent AI deepfake of Heather Humphreys promoting an investment scheme, as banks warn of rising election scams

Thu, 11 Sep, 2025

Technology Stock - Social Media

Unregulated social media is like the 'Wild West' – migration minister

Colm Brophy says Ireland must reconsider how social media works in light of unregulated dissemination of disinformation and violent content

Wed, 03 Sep, 2025

‘Ireland will continue to play an outsize role in the United Nations’

‘Ireland will continue to play an outsize role in the United Nations’

Sorcha Crowley spoke with gardaí, soliders, and officials among the many Irish people promoting peace with the UN as it marks its 80th year — work that will continue despite the impending end of Unifil

Mon, 01 Sep, 2025

Irish Examiner view: White House threat to global health research beggars belief

Irish Examiner view: White House threat to global health research beggars belief

Legitimising the anti-science outlook of Robert F Kennedy Jr has a negative effect everywhere, Ireland included

Fri, 29 Aug, 2025

RFK Jr. Fluoride

US Health Secretary RFK is systematically undermining vaccine confidence globally

Despite insisting at confirmation hearings that he's not anti-vaccine, Robert F Kennedy Jr has sowed doubt about science, limited access to vaccines, and halted research funding

Wed, 13 Aug, 2025

Man using ChatGPT in the mobile phone. This app is a chatbot based on Artificial Intelligence developed by OpenAI. ROSARIO, ARGE

Warning against using AI such as ChatGPT for medical advice after man develops rare condition

The man developed the rare condition bromism, or bromide toxicity, after taking ChatGPT's advice to remove salt from his diet

Tue, 12 Aug, 2025

Irish police

Lies spread on social media led to physical attack on Afghan man in Limerick

'He was treated with suspicion, fear, and hostility simply because of how he looked,' said migrant support group, Doras

Fri, 01 Aug, 2025

Facebook Campaign Ads

Meta's ban on political ads will mean less transparency and more slop for users

Ireland's presidential election could get a lot more interesting than expected, if Meta goes ahead with removing transparency and filtration tools, says Facebook’s first Political Ads representative in Europe

Wed, 30 Jul, 2025

The racist attack on an Indian man in Tallaght recently was not a once-off. Ireland must act

The racist attack on an Indian man in Tallaght recently was not a once-off. Ireland must act

A recent attack in Tallaght shows what happens when misinformation and disinformation are taken at face value, writes Arpita Chowdhury

Tue, 29 Jul, 2025

Nodding donkey in the desert, Kingdom of Bahrain

Criminalise fossil fuel disinformation and ban its lobbying, says UN expert

Rapporteur, Elisa Morgera, calls for defossilisation of economies and urgent reparations to avert ‘catastrophic’ rights and climate harms

Mon, 30 Jun, 2025

Cyber warfare 'biggest threat' as Europe takes Ireland to court over terror law failures

Cyber warfare 'biggest threat' as Europe takes Ireland to court over terror law failures

It comes as the European Commission announced it was taking Ireland to the European Court of Justice for failing to comply with EU laws on removing online terrorist content

Wed, 18 Jun, 2025

Newspapers at newspaper stand

Over half of Irish people interested in news, two-thirds worried about online disinformation

The majority of Irish people view traditional news outlets as their most trusted sources for news

Tue, 17 Jun, 2025

Carlow incident

Cianan Brennan: How far-right misinformation hijacked a tragedy in Carlow

Misinformation spread rapidly online after the Carlow shooting. Despite Gardaí efforts, far-right figures amplified false claims to huge audiences

Mon, 02 Jun, 2025

Dublin city centre incident

Dublin riots review says gardaí urgently need new public order resources

Report emphasises recruitment of more gardaí, better equipment, and new training facilities including a 'tactical town'

Wed, 19 Mar, 2025

Ripping right past the password

Disinformation by hostile states a 'threat to democracies'

Russian and Chinese channels only the 'tip of the iceberg', boosted by 'an extensive covert network' of state-linked channels

Wed, 19 Mar, 2025

Social media myths 'pose biggest risk to women in menopause'

Social media myths 'pose biggest risk to women in menopause'

Consultant Cathy Casey cites dangerous misinformation such as debunked myth linking HRT with higher cancer risks

Wed, 19 Mar, 2025

Conor McGregor ‘does not speak for Ireland’, says Harris after White House visit

Irish Examiner view: White House meeting of the utter disgraceful

MMA fighter Conor McGregor’s visit to the White House was an insult to decent people everywhere

Wed, 19 Mar, 2025

What to do if your emails have been hacked

Russia among hostile states colluding with gangs in attacks on EU member states, Europol warns

The agency's assessment found there is increasing violence in the drugs trade with cases of children as young as 13 being paid €19,000-€20,000 for contract killings

Tue, 18 Mar, 2025

UK's media habits

Russian and Chinese 'influence networks' target Ireland in 7,500 social media posts

Ireland is still without a State structure to counter disinformation and foreign influence

Tue, 18 Mar, 2025

Taoiseach condemns 'shocking rise in antisemitism and Holocaust denial'

Taoiseach condemns 'shocking rise in antisemitism and Holocaust denial'

Micheál Martin was speaking before travelling to attend today's 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau

Mon, 27 Jan, 2025

'It didn’t start with gas chambers. It started with politicians dividing the people, us vs them...’

'It didn’t start with gas chambers. It started with politicians dividing the people, us vs them...’

Recent events make it imperative for us to remember the Holocaust — and to protect democracy so we can truly say 'never again'

Sun, 26 Jan, 2025

Meta ends fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram

The dynamics that polarise us on social media are about to get worse

Those who express extreme negative views gain status within their groups, attracting more followers and amplifying their influence

Tue, 14 Jan, 2025

Get Winter Strong campaign

Misinformation and vaccine fatigue has 'inundated' hospitals with flu patients, says consultant

Professor Patrick Mitchell called for a change in how vaccines are promoted here

Fri, 10 Jan, 2025

WhatsApp age limit change

Meta and X 'giving two fingers to EU': Irish MEPs vow to hold social media giants to account

Criticism comes after Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg announced the platform was getting rid of factcheckers

Fri, 10 Jan, 2025

Limerick TD puts most of the blame on European politicians for allowing 'fake news' online

Limerick TD puts most of the blame on European politicians for allowing 'fake news' online

'European politicians, I think, are to the fore, in the blame here. They have accepted it, thrown their hands up in the air, 'there's nothing we can do'. There absolutely is something that can be done," Patrick O'Donovan said

Wed, 08 Jan, 2025

Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk

Europe monitoring social media giants after Meta moves to halt fact-checking of US posts

Irish regulator Coimisiún na Meán has said it will engage with Meta on its decision relating to community standards and the impact this will have on European users

Wed, 08 Jan, 2025

Gardaí say false sex assault claim and disinformation on social media ‘spread fear of foreigners’

Gardaí say false sex assault claim and disinformation on social media ‘spread fear of foreigners’

'A campaign of misinformation, disinformation and fake news circulated not just in the local area, but nationally and internationally on social media'

Sat, 04 Jan, 2025

London protests

How the far right is weaponising AI-generated content in Europe

This year’s European parliamentary elections were the launchpad for a roll-out of AI-generated campaigning by the European far right

Tue, 26 Nov, 2024

On the eve of a general election, there is still no sign of counter-disinformation strategy

On the eve of a general election, there is still no sign of counter-disinformation strategy

Ireland’s first national strategy to counter disinformation is eight months late and nowhere to be seen — even as the country heads towards an imminent general election

Fri, 08 Nov, 2024

UK organisations urged to boost cyber attack defences

'Notable' rise in hostile state cyber attacks in Ireland

The report said the bulk of incidents were in the second lowest of six categories of seriousness and that no incidents were recorded in the top two categories

Tue, 05 Nov, 2024

Child playing with colorful toys at the learning center or in kindergarten

Vacant State-owned buildings could be used as childcare facilities in FG plan

Fine Gael's manifesto proposal includes building new facilities alongside schools, and using proposed but unused international protection accommodation centres

Thu, 31 Oct, 2024

Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee inquiry

Electoral Commission to issue guidance on use of AI and deep-fakes ahead of general election

The guidance will come after Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae posted a video on his X account which he is endorsed by singer Taylor Swift

Wed, 30 Oct, 2024