Watchdog told about fake Fine Gael social media account
Bluesky, which started as a research initiative within Twitter in 2019, is a social media website similar to X, with users able to share short posts, photos, and videos.
The Electoral Commission has been made aware of a fake Fine Gael account on social media platform Bluesky, as a number of parties confirmed they were the targets of fake accounts.
Several parties previously said that fake party accounts were being proliferated on Bluesky, including for Fianna FĂĄil, Fine Gael, the Social Democrats, and AontĂș.
On Wednesday, several fake Bluesky accounts appear to have been suspended by the social media firm, including fake accounts for MicheĂĄl Martin, Simon Harris, the Social Democrats, and AontĂș.
Others, including those for Fine Gael and Fianna FĂĄil, were deleted entirely.
Bluesky, which started as a research initiative within Twitter in 2019, is a social media website similar to X, with users able to share short posts, photos, and videos.
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It has become more popular in recent weeks, with millions of users joining the platform in the wake of the US presidential election.
On Wednesday, Fine Gael alleged that members of Ăgra Shinn FĂ©in were involved in the setting up of such fake accounts, with a statement on the since deleted Fine Gael Bluesky alleging Ăgra Shinn FĂ©in involvement.
However, a Sinn FĂ©in spokesperson strongly rejected any assertions that the partyâs youth wing were involved.
âThis story is a fabrication. No Ăgra Shinn FĂ©in members were involved in this,â the spokesperson said.
Fine Gaelâs Emer Higgins said she hoped that nobody in Sinn FĂ©in was involved, and that senior party figures were not aware.
âIn this era of increasing misinformation and declining public trust in media, the operation of fake accounts during an election is extremely disconcerting,â Ms Higgins said.
A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission confirmed that Fine Gael brought a fake Bluesky account to its attention but said that no formal complaint had been made to the regulator.
The commission has a voluntary framework on online electoral process information, political advertising and deceptive AI content that is specific to this general election.
The framework has been agreed with a number of social media platforms but Bluesky is not one of these.
"We have no formal legislative powers in this area so currently there is no legislative basis for us to deal with complaints," it said.
The commission does not have the legal power to order social media platforms to take down misinformation or material that is damaging to the election system.
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