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

An AI clip during the presidential campaign went viral and showed the scale of the challenge in ensuring integrity. Art O’Leary heads up An Coimisiún Toghcháin and had been watching out for such issues, writes Sean Murray

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

It looks like a clip RTÉ News would routinely share on its social media channels. It starts with what looks like veteran broadcaster Sharon Ní Bheoláin before cutting to then-presidential candidate Catherine Connolly.

“In the last few minutes, at a Catherine Connolly campaign event, Catherine Connolly has confirmed her withdrawal from the presidential race,” Ms Ní Bheoláin says.