Under the Electoral Reform Act the Electoral Commission has been given extensive powers to monitor and regulate election campaigning online, including paid advertising. Photograph: Cyril Byrne
The European Commission expressed some concerns about the new powers, and the Government agreed to pause the implementation of the Act pending further discussions.Word of mouth, a sudden dawning, and a deadly Hamas attackAlthough the initial “standstill” period of 90 days has long elapsed, Mr O’Brien’s department said that “it is not proposed to commence parts 4 and 5 of the Act until all issues raised by the European Commission have been satisfactorily addressed”.
The Irish Times has also learned that social media and internet companies lobbied Government intensively against the measures even after their enactment in the legislation.