Irish among most dubious of disinformation in the EU 

Eurostat says the most popular way to check whether information is accurate is verifying sources or finding other information on the internet, followed by discussing it offline, or using sources not on the internet. Internet forums and discussions were the least popular method.

Irish people are far more likely to be dubious of disinformation than their peers in the EU, new data from the bloc show.

Echoing Central Statistics Office (CSO) findings earlier this month, the analysis wing of the European Commission found that the share of people aged 16-74 who verified information found on online news sites or social media in 2021 was largest in the Netherlands at 45%, followed by Luxembourg at 41%, and Ireland at 39%.

It is especially significant in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, with a recent commission report revealing tech giants like Facebook, Google, and Microsoft struggling to contain the spread of fake news and false claims on platforms.

Eurostat said that across the EU in 2021, 47% of all people aged 16-74 saw untrue or doubtful information on news websites or social media during the three months prior to the survey. 

However, less than a quarter of people verified the truthfulness of the information or content, it said.

On the opposite end to the scale of the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Ireland, the smallest share for verification of information online was recorded in Lithuania at 11%, followed by Romania at 12% and Poland at 16%.

Eurostat said the most popular way to check whether information is accurate is verifying sources or finding other information on the internet, followed by discussing it offline, or using sources not on the internet. Internet forums and discussions were the least popular method.

Earlier this month, the CSO here revealed that almost two-thirds of Irish internet users have come across disinformation online, but younger people are far less likely to take information at face value than their older peers.

Some 62% of internet users in Ireland said they saw information or content on online news sites or social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter, that they considered doubtful or untrue.

"However, analysis by age group shows that, of older persons aged 60-74 years, just over four in 10 (41%) saw content online that they considered doubtful or untrue, compared with 78% of persons aged 30-44 years, and 73% of younger persons in the 16-29 years age group,” the CSO said.

The proliferation of disinformation has proven a thorn in the side of national governments across the bloc during the Covid-19 crisis, with public health experts struggling to shake off claims made by people aiming to disrupt vaccination efforts.

Tech giants removed millions of ads and posts in September and October related to Covid-19.

In September, Facebook removed more than 120,000 pieces of content in the EU regarding Covid-19 on both Facebook and Instagram, while this number increased to 140,000 in October.

On Microsoft Advertising, the number of ads violating Covid-19 policies blocked from reaching EU users reached 435,922 in September, and 909,713 in October. 

Meanwhile, Google dealt with 500,000 new false ads in September and October compared to the previous two months.