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TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR has said he is appalled to hear how Facebook ruled that a post saying “knacker children should be burned” was not against the website’s community standards.
Varadkar was asked about the matter at the government’s national strategy for online safety in Dublin today.
He told reporters he had not seen the post mentioned, but said he could not imagine how such language could possibly be tolerable.
“I am appalled to hear that, quite frankly,” he said, adding that if something of that nature was said about women, black or LGBT people, it would not be allowed.
The Taoiseach said he would follow-up on the matter with Facebook as he could not understand how the social media site’s standards would not rule a post like that out-of-order.
In response to his remarks, a Facebook spokesperson told TheJournal.ie there was a mistake in its processes which meant the post was not removed.
They said:
This post violates our Community Standards on hate speech and should have been removed. We’re sorry that this did not happen, and we’re looking into why it was not removed.
Hate speech is never acceptable on Facebook and we work hard to keep it off our platform. We have invested significantly to expand our safety and security teams to help deal with problematic content and introduced new technology to proactively detect hate speech without anyone needing to report it.
In fact, of the 2.5 million pieces of hate speech we removed from Facebook since January this year, 38% was flagged by our technology.
Google and Facebook to sit on advisory council
The Action Plan for Online Safety includes the establishment of a national advisory council on online safety and a national communications campaign.
Junior Minister of Communications Sean Kyne said it is envisaged that Google and Facebook will be asked to sit on the advisory council, as will other stakeholders from children and youth groups.
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The report states that while online platforms are engaged in online safety measures, such as working with the gardaí, tech companies may have to do more.
A whole of government approach is needed to tackle online safety says the Taoiseach.
When asked by TheJournal.ie what companies such as Facebook and Twitter, should be doing, the Taoiseach said the big tech companies are “very attuned” to the issue.
“They know that failing to act when it comes online safety is damaging their reputation and potentially damaging their shareholder value in the longer term – that is what big companies care most about, let’s be honest.
“I think what they need to do is invest a lot more in resources and staff in taking down reported content quickly.”
Taking down reported content quickly
He said some smaller tech companies don’t have the resources or staff to carry out that kind of work at all. Varadkar said companies also need to ensure they respond to user complaints quickly, or ensure it cannot be uploaded in the first place.
While the action plan notes a voluntary code of conduct for tech companies, the government has been criticised for not regulating the tech industry, many of whom have their European headquarters in Dublin.
“The internet, by its very nature, has a global reach that governments don’t have,” said the Taoiseach.
Despite committing to establishing a Digital Safety Commissioner earlier this year, the government appears to be rolling back on the promise. The Law Reform Commission recommended that such an office be set up in 2016.
A Sinn Féin’s Private Members Bill, introduced in 2017, to set up such an office was passed. However, the government said the Bill raised “jurisdictional and other legal issues”.
Other aspects of the Bill include the publishing of an annual safer internet report, creating a new gov.ie website where all online safety resources can be accessed, as well as equipping teachers and parents on online trends and digital safety.
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My God I agree inappropriate language but he should go look at the youtube posts from the travelling community, nothing but racist hatred and vile , even shouting on youtune videos comments about burning people out and murdering them. has he seen some of the videos they post about the garda and what they call them.
Perhaps the person in charge of removing it on Facebook could speak English and realized that a knacker is an actual trade and not an insult! A knacker is a term for a person that buys and disposed of dead horses and renders them down for dog meat and boils up the bones for glue. As in “being sent to the glue factory” and old horses “being sent to the knackers yard” as far as I can see it’s nothing to be insulted by!
@Colm O’Leary: that could be true but do you agree with a tradesman children being burned? It was the whole message that was the problem. Not just that one word. It was hate speech from top to bottom.
@Brendan O’Brien: seems like a pretty good way of letting you off the hook for saying a despicable and sçümmmy thing thing about some children… so nupe, I think you should justify your own awful behaviour.
@Brendan O’Brien: correct, my conclusion about the awful thing you said. I honestly think you’re embarrassed about what you said, see know way to post-rationalise it into meaning something else, and are trying to turn this into a game of “I know you are but what am I” until everybody gets bored. Well… well done, I’m bored.
@Conor Paddington: Okay listen, I’ll dumb it down, just for you. I was referring to the very concept of hate speech, not the particular contents of this article. OBVIOUSLY (and I can’t believe that I have to spell this out for you) I don’t agree with children being burned. You maniac. My god.. some people are so incredibly stupid, I honestly can’t believe it at times. Get it now bucko?
@Joe Phillips: The above exchange is nothing but an demonstration of a strawman argument and is illustrative of the piss poor dialogue that is so common these days. I make a point about hate speech and I get accused of being okay with burning children. The absolute state of ye lot. You should be embarrassed. Seriously.
@Brendan O’Brien: Do you think it’s fair to assume, given the content of the above article and the fact that this is the comment section for the above article, that people thought you were referring to the hate speech as described in the above article ? You knew what you were doing. You worded your support for that disgusting Facebook post carefully so as to have a get-out clause. Backfired.
@Tommy Roche: Oh for gods sake… I have ALREADY CLARIFIED what i meant and that still isn’t enough for you, so what exactly do you want from me? I have an anonymous account, I say what I mean. If I wanted to defend the FB posts then I would just do it, I wouldn’t be playing stupid games. The fact that you lot thought I was defending the burning of children says more about you than it does me. You morons would rather believe your own nonsense than admit you took me up the wrong way. That’s all on you guys. Own it.
@Joe Phillips: I beg your pardon but my original comment has substantially more “likes” than any subsequent comments in this thread, so it would appear that most people knew perfectly well what I meant. Unless of course, you think they all want to burn kids too?? Strange, how you can think so little of people. At least be enough of an adult to just say “Fair enough, sorry. We took you up the wrong way, you obviously don’t want to burn kids, that’s such a ridiculous assertion that it sounds like the ramblings of a lunatic. Especially, after you clarified it, for the slow kids in the class”…. Y’know or something like that. That’d be your best course of action right about now.
@Brendan O’Brien: It’s been explained to you already why some people took your comment negatively. Your best course of action would arguably have been to not write that comment. On the other hand, it’s also arguable that it’s better for everyone if everyone else wears their true colours loud and proud so as to recognise like-minded and not-so-like-minded people.
It’s all good.
Non of you run a shop it’s an night mare with theft abuse bad language running normal customers and the main thing staff crying with fear it is pretty clear to me they are using the law to cry victom
He’s more worried about the slagging himself and FG gets on its FB page for the lies they spin. Everything has to appear all rosy in Leo’s garden. Image, false or not, is everything to him.
Near where I live there is a village with a small beach. The local scouts run a tiny sweet shop by the beach run voluntarily by the kids to raise money for their scout group. My father came down the other day to see a certain recognised minority trying to climb over the counter and take product and they were verbally abusing and threatening the two scouts behind The counter ffs these kids are young teenagers.
Facebook, we help to make your hate and prejudice go further. Need a platform for hate, use Facebook.
Yes, we can spread fake news, falsehoods, and trouble making stories for you but, using our making technology, we can do even more. We can allow you post up your hate and prejudice against any minority group, using incendiary language, and we will use our “Community Standards” to protect your freedom of expression of hate.
Facebook, we get to the places of hate that others can only attempt.
@Dave Thomas: social media facilitates the spread of hate. Google produces search results on controversial with a highly negative slant, weighted in favour of harmful remarks. Twitter and Facebook still act as amplifiers of mass hate and may support freedom to express hate unless it advocates violence. Human behaviour has been coarseness and desensitised as a result.
Jaron Lanier has written an excellent short book “Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounnt” – it makes a lot of sense.
@Sweet George: You’ve obviously had a lot of accounts banned yourself if you remember that far back and are using a brand new trolling account. What a Grade-A hypocrite you are.
@Phillip Maguire: I don’t think @sweet George is the one saying that Facebook is a hate filled platform while still using it .
Most people on here know Micheal/fiona/Tony by his ramblings , he consistently berates Facebook as a tool for hate speech , yet uses it to spew out his own hatred for certain religions .
Taoiseach appalled that comments referring to kn***ker children not removed from Facebook. (He’s rightly appalled btw). But taoiseach NOT appalled at taoiseachs comments critizing the media with negative insinuations to free speech while on a diplomatic mission to the free speech supporting UN.
It’s a pity Leo wasn’t as s equally appalled at more pressing matters. As for the particular post, absolutely nothing wrong with it, appropriate, accurate and correct. Leo might take the time whilst he’s trawling his latest social media posts, to look at the vile, attrocious, appalling, violent, racist candy homophobic videos posted on you tube by Travellers. Ethnic recognition my A@#£. And whilst I’m at it, how about this charming section of societies opinion on gay People, especially those in their own community.
@Joseph Dempsey:- Nothing wrong with burning the children of travellers “appropriate accurate and correct “. you think the travellers posts on you tube are” vile appalling racist candy homophobic, but you are ok with burning their children. Right .
@Alick Stewart: To be honest, I didn’t see the full post so I apologize, however the shocking double standards is breathtaking. We are expected to tip toe around this group, always careful not to offend and yet this very group promotes the very actions and worse on full display on you tube. The Irony being Leo jumping on the bandwagon when the very same people ostricise those who are gay in their community and I might add violently so. If anyone other than Travellers behaved the way they do, they’d be facing criminal prosecution with gusto.
There is a belief out there that you can type anything you like and publish it on social media and it does not matter because you can’t visualize your audience. It’s a bit like picking your nose in the car and think no one can see you.
Facebook are more concerned with removing pictures of nipples than anything that causes any real offence…I reported a very hateful comment about gay people and got the standard response of doesn’t violate our community standards blah blah..
I don’t condone the “burning of knacker children” comment but many people have reached the end of their tether with the travelling community. They contribute nothing to society. Have little or no respect for the law and terrorise rural Ireland. You’d be hard pressed to find a farmer who hasn’t had a run in with them. While most of us work to pay our way in life they are entitled to everything including free third lvl education because they’re a minority group. They seem to be able to carry on their lawless way of life without being checked by the authorities who would rather turn a blind eye than deal with them. This is why people are frustrated and unfortunately this frustration has been expressed in the wrong manner this time.
Sick and tired of this dysfunctional blight on humanity yes FB and all who sail in and on it. They are only doing the right thing when there is outrage at their irresponsiblibilty in checking/correcting its users abusive hatred towards the rest of humanity.
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