Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The trick is to preserve the right to freedom of expression while also protecting people against misinformation. My point is that political bias can be injected into the system at any stage. It is not just when a complaint is made. It can come in during the moderation process. The commission needs to be really alert to it all of the time and not to just wait for a complaint. Sometimes, the handling of complaints can be politically biased and that is a grave concern of mine. I am sorry; I am conscious of time.

Page 2 of Dr. Evans's statement says that the "key aim of the DSA is to provide a more predictable and trustworthy online environment for users". And so say all of us. It also says "the DSA also obliges platforms to inform users when their content has been removed, downranked or de-monetised, or when their account has been suspended". Some concern has been raised about the prioritisation of speed over due diligence. In the rush to combat illegal content and disinformation at any cost, could this potentially exert pressure on large platforms like X, Facebook and TikTok to act swiftly and decisively, even it means relying on imperfect or opaque algorithmic tools to avoid liability and public scrutiny? What is going to be done to ensure there is no disproportionate removal of lawful content produced in what we might call a nuanced situation? What can be done to ensure a swift resolution where decisions are contested by people and organisations?

If we go back to the example of the "Free State" podcast, where the issue appears to have been resolved relatively quickly, the content was taken down, that decision was disputed and the content was reinstated. To go back to the Covid pandemic, we should not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. We should remember that. As a friend of my often says, slow is smooth and smooth is fast. How can the commission act quickly while also ensuring that all processes are followed? If there is a rush to take action quickly on a hot button topic that everyone is talking about, is Dr. Evans concerned that, because everyone wants something done, it may be a case of "somebody should do something, this is something so therefore we should do it" and that an action will be taken that, in the fullness of time, turns out to be the wrong action? How can it be ensured that action is swift but also fair?