Technology that pushes 'bile, hate and deranged lunacy' drives profits for tech giants, Dáil committee hears

Elections to the European Parliament, as well as local elections in Ireland, are set to be held in June — with experts, specialist agencies and democratic institutions fearing a heightened threat both internally and externally. File picture: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

The technology that pushes “bile, hate and deranged lunacy” onto people’s social media feeds is the same technology that drives profits for digital platforms, an Oireachtas committee has heard.

Sinn Féin TD for Louth Ruairí Ó Murchú said what “wasn’t acceptable yesterday becomes acceptable” and his fear was the next step would be people moving from spewing hate to assaulting someone, or even worse.