A new investigation has found 172 instances of political misinformation and disinformation published on X, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube in the six weeks leading up to the Presidential Election on 24 October.
The report was complied by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) and the Hope and Courage Collective (H&CC).
Threats to electoral integrity during the campaign accounted for 93 out of the 172 instances.
These included false claims about the constitution, the role of the president and the political process.
Researchers analysed posts containing false claims that the nominations process, or the entire election, had been "rigged", and that candidates had been "blocked" from entering the race.
Threats to electoral integrity targeting candidates accounted for 62 posts, across multiple platforms.
These included unsubstantiated claims about candidates' past statements or positions, targeted personal attacks, and the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) to disseminate false statements or fictional news reports about candidates.
Threats to electoral integrity during polling day accounted for 19 posts.
These included false claims of fraud, interference in polling stations and efforts to encourage people to commit potentially prosecutable offences while voting.
Threats to electoral integrity were most commonly found on X, followed by Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, according to the investigation.
"A 'spoil the vote’ campaign was bolstered by over 10,000 mentions across social media in the four weeks leading up to polling day," the report concludes.
"Though this is a legitimate democratic exercise, researchers found that it facilitated the spread of election disinformation and anti-migrant and anti-LGBTQ+ hate," it added.
Separate from the analysis of 172 instances of political misinformation and disinformation, researchers identified 43 election-related posts that featured media created with GenAI tools.
The investigation found that only 14% of these posts included labels indicating they were created using GenAI.
The report notes that while the vast majority of the AI content was of "low quality", a "highly convincing deepfake" featuring Catherine Connolly emerged in the final week of the campaign which included a fake RTÉ News report falsely claiming that Ms Connolly had withdrawn from the race.
"Platforms must ensure they are proactive and robust in enforcing their community guidelines relating to the kinds of electoral integrity this analysis has identified," said Ciarán O'Connor, Senior Analyst at ISD.
"Yet, as has been documented in this and prior reports, platforms are repeatedly failing to meet this obligation," Mr O'Connor said.
Edel McGinley, Executive Director at H&CC, said the presidential election highlights the urgent need to address how platform recommender systems amplify divisive and anti-democratic content.
"The majority of the harmful narratives identified in this report gained traction because they were promoted through algorithmic systems designed to reward outrage and emotional intensity," Ms McGinley said.
"Ultimately, the findings of this report underline the need for stronger coordination between platforms and regulators in safeguarding electoral integrity."
"Implementation of measures such as the EU’s Democracy Shield, along with the activation of Part 5 of the Electoral Reform Act, would provide essential tools for countering manipulation and keeping Ireland’s elections free from manipulation and interference," she added.
