Congressman David N. Cicilline to attend the International Grand Committee on Disinformation and ‘Fake News’ in Dublin

Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, Chair of the Oireachtas Communications Committee has welcomed confirmation that influential US legislator David N. Cicilline will attend the International Grand Committee on Disinformation and ‘Fake News’ in Dublin. Deputy Naughton will chair the meeting of the Committee on the 7^th of November.

Congressman David N. Cicilline, is Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee’s Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law Subcommittee and he will attend as an ex officio member of the Committee which will allow the Congressman question witnesses.

Speaking about the announcement Deputy Naughton said: “I very much welcome that Congressman Cicilline will attend the meeting of the International Grand Committee in Dublin on the 7^th of November. I look forward to Chairing what will be the 3^rd meeting of the committee with it having met in London and Ottawa previously.

“The Dublin meeting will be really significant in that it will be the first time that US legislators will participate.

“As all the major social media/tech giants were founded and are headquartered in the United States it is very welcome that Congressman Cicilline has agreed to participate. His own Committee is presently conducting investigations into Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple and so his attendance will greatly enhance our deliberations.

Congressman David N. Cicilline, who serves as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law in the United States House of Representatives said: “We are living in a critical moment for privacy rights and competition online, both in the United States and around the world.  As people become increasingly connected by what seem to be free technology platforms, many remain unaware of the costs they are actually paying.

“The Internet has also become concentrated, less open, and growingly hostile to innovation. This is a problem that transcends borders, and it requires multinational cooperation to craft solutions that foster competition and safeguard privacy online. I look forward to joining the International Grand Committee as part of its historic effort to identify problems in digital markets and chart a path forward that leads to a better online experience for everyone.”

Deputy Naughton concluded: “With the addition of American legislators, the International Grand Committee is now representative of approximately 730 million citizens and their right to online privacy and security.

“Greater regulation of social media and tech giants is fast becoming a priority for many countries throughout the world. The International Grand Committee is a gathering of international parliamentarians who have a particular responsibility in this area. We will coordinate actions to tackle online election interference, ‘fake news’, and harmful online communications, amongst other issues while at the same time respecting freedom of speech.”