Facebook says monitoring the truth of political ads in Ireland is not its job

The social network told an Oireachtas committee discussing the Electoral Reform Bill it did not fact-check political speech, while Twitter defended allowing anonymous accounts on its platform

Facebook told an Oireachtas committee it would not stop micro-targeting – a controversial practice that allows parties to target specific demographics using social media databases – on its platform. Picture: Getty

Facebook does not believe it should be responsible for monitoring the truth of political adverts on its platform, the company’s Irish policy chief has said.

Twitter and Facebook both appeared in front of the Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage as pre-legislative scrutiny continues on the Electoral Reform Bill.

Both companies were accused of failing to monitor the activity that takes place on their platforms. TDs and senators criticised Facebook for its approach ...