Social Media

TDs unhappy as X declines invitation to Oireachtas hearing on disinformation

X told the media committee it will not attend a public session, citing ongoing legal proceedings, but is willing to engage in a private meeting

X: The firm - owned by Elon Musk, who recently used the platform to criticise Taoiseach Leo Varadkar - has expressed a willingness to meet with the committee privately, which has been met with reluctance by committee members. Picture: Anadolu

Representatives from X have declined to attend an Oireachtas Committee hearing on disinformation, the Business Post has learned, despite coming into the government’s line of fire over its response to rioting in Dublin.

The Oireachtas media committee is due to meet with tech giants Google, Tiktok and Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, on Wednesday to discuss disinformation and media literacy.

However, X declined to attend the session, citing ongoing legal proceedings.

The news comes after Helen McEntee, the minister for justice, said on Thursday that she intends to meet with the platform as that she believes some of the information posted to it “fuelled” violent demonstrations in the capital.