Foreign Interference and Disinformation Target US Presidential Election Amid Global Democracy Challenges

Ireland’s Presidential Election Plagued by Deepfakes and Disinformation

In the final weeks of Ireland’s recent presidential campaign, a disturbing video circulated showing frontrunner Catherine Connolly making shocking statements: “I’m a Freemason. I will kick all you Irish out. I love money, the bank, and Hamas.”

Another video featured Connolly saying, “It is with great regret that I announce the withdrawal of my candidacy and the ending of my campaign.”

Both videos were completely fabricated using generative artificial intelligence, yet they gained significant traction on social media platforms. Despite these digital attacks, Connolly went on to win the election with 914,000 first-preference votes.

These AI-generated fakes represent just a fraction of the disinformation campaign that targeted Ireland’s presidential election, according to new research by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), an NGO that monitors online extremism and disinformation.

Working alongside the Hope and Courage Collective, ISD researchers documented 172 instances of political misinformation and disinformation across social media in the six weeks preceding polling day. The analysis revealed numerous false narratives designed to undermine the electoral process and smear candidates.

Some falsehoods aimed to invalidate the nominations process, interfere with voting, or push the narrative that the entire election was “rigged.” Standard political processes, such as parties endorsing specific candidates, were reframed as attempts to ban independent candidates from participating.

In more extreme cases, these legitimate practices were described in conspiratorial terms, characterizing them as plots by “globalists” to disenfranchise Irish voters. The misinformation became so pervasive that a case was brought to the High Court challenging the constitutionality of the nomination process. The court eventually rejected this “entirely baseless” challenge, but fabricated quotes attributed to the judge spread online, garnering over 100,000 views.

Individual candidates faced severe attacks. In September, Jim Gavin became the target of highly defamatory claims originating from abroad that reached hundreds of thousands of users. Most platforms only removed the content after Gavin’s campaign publicly condemned the “malicious smears.”

Fine Gael candidate Heather Humphreys was similarly targeted with baseless accusations of murder, money laundering, and grave robbing in a TikTok video viewed more than 18,400 times. Humphreys, a Presbyterian from Monaghan, also endured sectarian abuse in posts that falsely labeled her as a member of the Orange Order.

President-elect Connolly faced additional disinformation beyond the deepfake videos. One false narrative erroneously linked her to Ireland’s National Asset Management Agency (Nama), based solely on her husband sharing a name with a former board member. On X (formerly Twitter), the Grok AI tool repeated this claim without clarifying the mistaken identity.

While electoral disinformation isn’t new, what has changed dramatically is the speed, reach, and influence such content now achieves. Ireland’s experience mirrors warning signs seen in democracies worldwide, including the United States, Romania, and Czechia, where elections have faced sustained, coordinated attacks.

The consequences of widespread electoral disinformation can be severe. As demonstrated by the January 6, 2021, events at the U.S. Capitol, individuals convinced by false claims about “corrupt” or “rigged” elections may take action. Ireland has already experienced this on a smaller scale.

During Ireland’s 2022 local elections, a misleading edited video of then-minister for justice Helen McEntee appeared on TikTok on polling day, falsely suggesting she had announced Ireland would offer citizenship via email “from today.” The out-of-context clip from 2021 was used to falsely claim the government was rushing to “hand out Irish citizenship” before the election. Two days later, a citizen reported McEntee to police for alleged “election fraud,” citing the misleading video as evidence.

The presidential election also saw a surge in social media posts supporting a “Spoil the Vote” campaign on polling day. While ballot spoiling is a legitimate democratic act, some online encouraged voters to spoil ballots because the election was supposedly “rigged” or “fraudulent.” Others instructed voters to post photos of their spoiled ballots on social media—potentially a prosecutable offense.

Experts note that social media platforms continue to fail in their obligation to address content that interferes with civic activities or targets individuals, despite policies prohibiting such content. Coimisiún na Meán, Ireland’s media commission, has enforcement powers against platforms that fail to address illegal or harmful content.

However, Ireland’s Electoral Commission currently operates without Part 5 of the Electoral Reform Act 2022, which would provide powers to investigate threats to electoral integrity, including disinformation. While these powers wouldn’t eliminate misinformation entirely, they would provide practical means to act during elections and ensure greater accountability from social media platforms that increasingly shape public opinion.