Democracy ‘may not survive’ fake news onslaught

Facebook tells committee it cannot be ‘truth police for the entire world’

Monica Bickert of Facebook said: "We should not determine for citizens what they shall and shall not see in terms of truthfulness from their politicians."
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 30: Carole Cadwalladr attends a screening of "The Great Hack" hosted by Livia Firth & Netflix at The May Fair Hotel on September 30, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Netflix)

Global democracy may not survive if the power of Silicon Valley continues unchecked, an inquiry into fake news heard in Dublin yesterday.

Carole Cadwalladr, the British author and reporter for The Observer, told theInternational Grand Committee on Disinformation and “Fake News” at Leinster House that misinformation spread via social media had played a decisive role in the Brexit referendum.