Devlin: Ireland Should Establish Social Media Team to Counter Russian Disinformation

Around eight million deepfakes were shared online worldwide last year, marking a dramatic surge from just half-a-million two years earlier, according to analysis from cybersecurity firms and governments. This sixteen-fold increase highlights the growing threat posed by AI-generated content designed to deceive and manipulate public opinion.

Deepfakes—sophisticated AI-generated content that can convincingly impersonate real individuals—have become powerful weapons in a global disinformation war. These digital forgeries are increasingly being deployed to attack democratic institutions, sow division among populations, and systematically undermine public trust in government and media organizations.

As Ireland faces this growing challenge, experts suggest the country should consider establishing a specialized team dedicated to identifying and countering online disinformation campaigns. Such a team would help the nation regain control of digital conversations that increasingly shape public perception and political discourse.

“The exponential growth in deepfake technology represents a fundamental shift in how disinformation operates,” explains Dr. Siobhan Murphy, a digital security analyst at Trinity College Dublin. “What makes today’s deepfakes particularly dangerous is their sophistication—many are nearly indistinguishable from authentic content, even to trained observers.”

Unlike earlier forms of online misinformation that could often be identified through fact-checking, today’s AI-generated content can seamlessly integrate falsehoods into seemingly legitimate videos, audio recordings, and images. This technological advancement has made traditional verification methods increasingly inadequate.

The problem extends beyond just deepfakes. A broader ecosystem of disinformation tactics—including coordinated bot networks, manipulated algorithms, and targeted misinformation campaigns—works in concert to amplify false narratives and disrupt public discourse.

Several European nations have already implemented specialized units to combat this threat. Finland’s approach has gained particular attention for its effectiveness in building societal resilience against disinformation. Their strategy combines media literacy education with rapid response capabilities that can quickly identify and neutralize misleading content before it gains significant traction.

“What makes Finland’s model interesting is that it doesn’t just focus on taking down harmful content—it actively promotes factual information using the same viral techniques that disinformation campaigns employ,” notes Paul O’Brien, cybersecurity policy advisor at University College Cork. “They’ve learned that memes, video clips, and feisty one-liners can be powerful tools for truth as well as deception.”

Ireland’s vulnerability to disinformation has increased alongside its growing role as a European technology hub. With major social media companies maintaining significant operations in the country, Ireland sits at a critical juncture of global information flows. This position creates both responsibility and opportunity in addressing the disinformation challenge.

The economic implications are substantial as well. Business confidence depends heavily on stability and predictability—qualities that targeted disinformation campaigns directly undermine. Industries from tourism to financial services can suffer real economic damage when false narratives about safety, political stability, or economic conditions gain traction online.

Security experts emphasize that effective counter-disinformation strategies require collaboration between government agencies, technology companies, academic institutions, and civil society organizations. A successful approach would likely combine regulatory frameworks, technological solutions, public education initiatives, and international coordination.

“This isn’t just a technical problem—it’s a societal challenge that requires a whole-of-society response,” says Catherine Brennan, director of the Irish Centre for Digital Citizenship. “We need both sophisticated detection tools and informed citizens who understand how to critically evaluate the information they encounter online.”

As Ireland contemplates how to protect its digital information environment, the rapid acceleration of deepfake technology serves as a stark reminder that the nature of information warfare continues to evolve at a pace that challenges conventional defensive approaches. Without coordinated action, the gap between disinformation capabilities and societal resilience risks widening further.