Liz Carolan
@LizCarolan
Followers
5,669
Following
1,902
Media
1,003
Statuses
11,918
I write about tech & democracy at , founded @DigitalActionCo & @transparentref . Ex @ODIHQ @instituteforgov
Dublin City, Ireland
Joined November 2010
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
श्री गणेश
• 139331 Tweets
Ganesh Chaturthi
• 131107 Tweets
गणपति बप्पा
• 96809 Tweets
ホームラン
• 64256 Tweets
#Smoke1stWin
• 54197 Tweets
#マイナビTGC
• 50153 Tweets
WIN BA PUMA AT SUNWAY
• 38217 Tweets
#baystars
• 27664 Tweets
ビッグラン
• 18383 Tweets
#deprem
• 16254 Tweets
Kahramanmaraş
• 13485 Tweets
クリスマスパレード
• 12723 Tweets
ホークス
• 12423 Tweets
ボンドガール
• 11883 Tweets
#MUSICFAIR
• 11409 Tweets
Pinned Tweet
TikTok is breaching EU rules on ad transparency - an investigation by my newsletter The Briefing leading the
@IrishTimes
this morning - the background reporting is here:
1
11
24
I'll tell you something for nothing. I'd rather watch an awkward moment on TV so someone in power checks the facts before they speak, than have the safety of my family and neighbours depend on a charismatic chancer.
25
89
2K
Answer me this: how are 60,000 babies born in Ireland every year and yet there is zero plan for small baby childcare?
Does our economy really need tens of thousands of people every year scrambling to cobble together something to be able to work & pay taxes?
36
177
1K
Question for Irish people re: Brexit - do you find yourself less likely to buy from UK small businesses because of all the additional stress & costs?
I used to do lots of order from little brands I'd find online - I just don't bother any more.
410
35
1K
To be fair, no actual Dublin resident has drank in Temple Bar since the mid 90s
14
47
1K
This claim has been repeatedly proven false.
@rtenews
should adopt the practice most reputable news sources now have of stating this up front in their tweets.
First US presidential debate: Donald Trump claims election will be a ‘fraud’, saying if he saw ‘tens of thousands of ballots being manipulated, I can't go along with that’. | Read more:
40
3
20
18
122
1K
Dear
@DonnellyStephen
- I labourer alone in the 14 bed ward you’re talking about now on
@morningireland
- many of us who are objecting to this plan have. Don’t use us as an excuse. Answer the question - why isn’t
#NMH
going to be a public hospital on public land?
11
152
854
One day, the song you danced to at 2am at a music festival will be played at 7:20am on RTE Radio 1 & you will know it’s official.
Middle.
Age.
22
21
817
After months of being told that manipulative, disturbing, untraceable & inaccurate content related to
#8thref
was not the responsibility of any state institution, I popped down to have a look at the one time official Ireland has decided they cannot let an image remain in public
9
319
702
This first hug from Grandma, 17 weeks delayed, is brought to you by science 🤗
Better late than never 🥲
10
11
698
I'd like to know why 7 Irish MEPs voted *against* banning ad profiling of minors & prohibiting the use of *highly sensitive personal data* (racial/ ethnic origin, political/ religious affiliation, sexuality, health data) for ad targeting. I'll tag below if you'd also like to know
18
192
685
That the information on this school is already circulating online is not the point. Not announcing the school is to reassure citizens they can trust authorities will treat them with confidentiality & respect if they come forward with symptoms. Consistency is a foundation of trust
The Department of Health says the secondary school which is being closed following the first case of Covid 19 will not be identified - in order to 'protect the individual, their family and their community'. |
129
62
181
34
115
627
The classic “boomers have houses because they didn’t go on city break” arguments on
@RadioBrendanRTE
In the 80s basics (houses etc.) were affordable and luxuries (trips, entertainment) were expensive. Now the opposite is true.
15
47
475
A lot of comments saying Saoirse is “giving up on democracy”- electoral politics is democracy, but so too is activism, advocacy, mobilisation, civil society, a free press, civil disobedience..
Without voting there’d be no Repeal, but without activism there’d have been no vote
I don’t believe that our pathway to a just and free society lies in electoral politics.
I have seen how brilliant and brave people are bullied and silenced within parties that profess to be grounded in equality and democracy.
I’ve seen how much effort and energy gets taken up 4/
86
93
1K
5
70
449
Last Saturday I got to marry this wonderful human, with a handful of our nearest & dearest.
Thank you
@MoLI_Museum
For giving the city this special place filled with tales & poems & storytellers, and for letting it be a part of our story.
78
7
442
The Minister for Finance (and President of the Eurogroup) is currently twirling a paper sign on the traffic island in Ballsbridge
I love Irish politics
#DBS21
18
38
386
I see there’s a first time candidate in Dublin trying to get attention by harassing a pregnant candidate over whether she’ll take maternity leave. The goal is to get you to spread his name by hate tweeting. Don’t bite.
11
40
367
Got myself a bike at the start of All This to visit family without buses. Haven’t seen family in 8 weeks, but a nightly leisurely bike ride, something I hadn’t done in years, is now the most joyous part of my day. Forcing me away from laptop & news. Keeping me sane. 5 ⭐️
5
18
341
The Argentine parliament are about to vote on abortion reform after an epic 23 hours of debate - Ireland was mentioned multiple times by deputies as an example of a majority Catholic country that could separate Church from public policy -
#8thref
matters beyond our borders.
1
76
318
Happy New Year from our newly minted team of 3, home just in time to say good bye to 2020.
May you find enough reasons for joy & love & power in 2021 for it to radiate through your mask.
And may the masks be binned forever & we all be back together before this new year is done
45
0
309
In the 90s & 00s we rebuilt this city so suburban landlords could make money renting drafty 40m flats to presumed transient young ppl & workers.
We then rebuilt it for 5k open plan office tech companies & 3star stag parties.
Can we please now build a city to live in?
The global tech company has confirmed reports that the lease will not now go ahead
7
6
11
1
61
309
I am finding this quite enraging. Getting to make decisions that affect the daily lives of 5 million people, leading teams of thousands of publicly paid civil servants and managing tax payers hard earned financial contributions to their state is a responsibility, not a reward.
Now we have first time TDs tweeting expressing disappointment at not getting the nod. I know I’m getting old but since when did this become a thing?
19
6
172
7
38
298
Before you start writing your think piece on the Sinn Fein youthquake - check the the exit poll for the over 50s
SF in the lead by a whisker ahead, at 22.8%
11
70
284
So I divided the
@IrishTimes
tracker of the declared positions of TDs & Senators on the 8th by gender; the women are not on the fence about
#repealthe8th
7
163
268
We know it needs to be upgraded. We want it to be upgraded. We also know that you are presenting us with a false choice.
Stop presenting Church involvement as the only choice.
We. Don’t. Trust. Them.
By pushing ahead you are undermining trust in the state.
3
34
249
Our Mas, if we’re lucky enough to have them, are in their 60s & 70s
And honestly Ireland, you’ve put them through enough already
2
7
216
I was dreading cycling across town in the dark this eve on a route I don’t know- but the new bike lanes! They’re magic! I was gliding down the quays. A rare moment you *feel* gov & our election choices making you safer, healthier & happier 👏🏼 👏🏼🚲
@DubCityCouncil
@dublincycling
4
19
217
The average age for a woman to have her first baby is over 30, and yet the answer to child care seems to be
Ask your Ma
3
11
214
Ireland’s vaccine rates should be a source of pride - but the gloating tonight feels a little uncalled for - I’m not sure vaccine hesitancy & a slowed rollout in a country we share an open border with is something to celebrate
7
10
211
We. Need. An. Election. Commission.
🚨 Bit of a twin-track shambles emerging with the electoral register...
Anyone who registered to vote in the last eight months is NOT (yet) eligible to vote in
#ge2020
.
Here’s why: [thread]
58
511
531
2
37
209
This is what happens when you have businesses run by people who live in & love their city 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
@AndreaHoran
@PantiBliss
2
11
206
This. Is. Not. How. You. Do. Government. Comms.
ℹ️ Taoiseach Micheál Martin tells Fianna Fáil parliamentary party that Junior and Senior Infants are likely to return to school on March 1st.
76
44
638
6
18
191
I’m so angry at this “society to blame” narrative
Millions of us were trapped for generations in a violent **theocracy** where church & state were one
The church controlled every part of education, morality, health, and indeed the political class
Pure gaslighting
Taoiseach's
#D
áil speech on Mother & Baby Homes - including a State apology - getting underway now
7
26
292
7
40
178
OOO: for the next 6+ months 👶
I'm leaving
@DigitalAction1
in the capable & creative hands of
@SadMartlew
& the team, while I go have a new adventure
Feeling incredibly grateful to all those who fought so I could live in a state that, for all its issues, respects parental leave
23
0
185
Political party Facebook ad spend in the week to Mon 27th:
@fiannafailparty
: €22,112
@FineGael
: €12,369
@sinnfeinireland
: €8,192
@Labour
: €1,084
@pb4p
: €350
@SocDems
: <€100
@greenparty_ie
: < €100
6
104
176
Back in the saddle - can’t wait for the Sandymount bike lane 🚲 ☀️
2
9
169
This - but also the ton of regulatory bricks that might come crashing down if they don’t get to it on the privacy front
For what it's worth, I don't think there will be a big, apocalyptic Day After Tomorrow-style moment where Twitter ends.
The glitches have already piled up. People who left are predicting outages. But most importantly, it's unclear how the company is going to make money now.
739
1K
9K
9
33
160
This is a story of accountability and of how reliant we all are on our journalists - and their editors & lawyers - for it to work.
This is what we lose if we refuse to pay for news.
8
24
168
BIG NEWS: we’re about to find out just how much was spent on Google / YouTube ads in
#8thref
before the Ban.
@EamonRyan
refused to let that one go.
2
79
159
Very excited to see this out in the world - this Friday voters in Dublin City will be able to pick up “I voted” stickers at polling stations - there’s 3 great designs by
@MaserArt
@JackySheridan
& Jacek Matysiak - more to come on this in next few days 💚
5
40
149
Argentinian politicians just voted 129-125 to decriminalise abortion. Ireland was mentioned multiple times in debate, including the big majority for reform. This is why referendums - when done well, with enough info & proper process - matter. Give expression to social change.
The Argentine parliament are about to vote on abortion reform after an epic 23 hours of debate - Ireland was mentioned multiple times by deputies as an example of a majority Catholic country that could separate Church from public policy -
#8thref
matters beyond our borders.
1
76
318
0
36
145
Irish MEPs who voted against DSA AM 500 are:
@FitzgeraldFrncs
@ColmMarkey
@MariaWalshEU
@DeirdreCluneMEP
@SeanKellyMEP
@BarryAndrewsMEP
@BillyKelleherEU
8
29
142
Exciting day for the household - baby’s first trip to the polls 🥰
Get out the Dublin!
#DBS21
#dbsbyelection
6
2
138
Quick Q for digital policy folks - we've built a set of taxonomies of:
a) types of online harms & their impact on democracy & human rights &
b) a further taxonomy of policy responses mapped to the above
They were made for internal use, if we shared, would anyone use them?
27
16
135
With a border poll potentially down the line, we need to start treating election integrity like the national security issue it is
Yet international interference is *not illegal* in Ireland & no one is currently responsible for it
Me in
@IrishTimes
today
17
30
124
Quite.
And now we can be the country that shows the world how regulation of these tactics is done.
#8thref
#tref
Another reason to be cheerful is that Ireland is the first Anglophone country to face the full panoply of Trump/Brexit/Bannon tactics and withstand that onslaught.
#repealtheeigth
173
3K
10K
3
40
115
Lots of remote work / WFH hacks circulating, as someone who’s done it for years, here’s my contribution:
This week & next week is not WFH. This is adjusting to the most terrifying thing that has happened to our society in a generation, while trying to keep things ticking over
3
29
120
We’ve hit “knitting baby sized Bernie mittens” level of cabin fever
5
1
113
It’s
#POSTERNIGHT
across the land... not an idle ladder from Mizen to Malin.
Yes, yes they’re a bit annoying - BUT they’re a sign our democracy is alive. They’re first timers & low funds candidates’ best shot. I never saw a single one in London; it’s all safe seats & big money.
9
33
116
We fought for rights and for choice in our reproduction, and maybe it’s time we fight for economic and social rights - and choice - in our matresence too
2
5
111
Here is a summary of voting by Irish MEPs to amendments on the Digital Services Act, with brief explainers of each. I would like better scrutiny of our representatives by our media too, for the record!
2
17
109
What does it mean when Hungarian politicians are targeting Irish citizens with ads? (Cc
@wrklsshrd
)
7
44
108
This is the unhottest of takes
That’s kinda the point
Here I am, another middle class woman who is used to all the glass ceiling malarkey but now suddenly finds herself smashing face first into a brick wall
2
1
108
So looking forward to better coverage of immigration issues in Dublin 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Also
#JobsFairy
- great opportunity for journalists -
@DublinInquirer
9
53
107
If the standard for whether a state agency releases private information about an individual - having publicly & no doubt privately committed to not doing so - becomes “LOL but it’s on Facebook”, then we’re in real trouble.
6
14
100
A Renua ad: a man points a knife at you above text criticising migration policy, & a request to "Vote 1"
They ran this on Facebook & Insta from their official page, and yet FB failed to detect it as a political/ issue ad
The genius tactic to circumvent FB's "AI"?
Using a JPEG
8
50
99
I couldn’t sleep last night with the images from Bucha burned into my eyes. Murder & rape on an industrial scale.
Today I feel broken from it all. Yet the Ukrainian people keep fighting, keep delivering aid, literally a suitcase at a time.
The rest of us need to do more.
3
19
98
Why local journalism matters - a
@DublinInquirer
investigation has led to the Council removing facial recognition cameras that they found were installed without their impact on people’s privacy being assessed properly 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
This comes following a report from the Dublin Inquirer that the DCC had not conducted an impact assessment.
@ICCLtweet
was on record here that the DPIA is a necessary first step.
2
6
18
2
20
100
There’s a viral video today of Russian POWs giving a press conference - 1m views here in last few hrs & over 3m on YouTube of original in 4days. 2 of the men are badly beaten (last 30secs on Twitter video)
The Geneva Convention protects POWs (& their families). Don’t share it
Short thread on prisoners of war. Please share.
👉 Humiliating or making POWs a subject of public curiosity or ridicule is strictly prohibited by the laws of war.
#Ukraine
131
868
2K
12
33
92
Five years ago today I decided to move home. I was far too long gone to travel
#hometovote
, & I knew I couldn’t miss any more. Thank you to the generations of women & men who fought to get us
#marref
, gifted us both that moment of pride and our new identity 🌈
2
1
99
These are genuine questions - I would like our MEPs to explain to the people who voted for them why they made these decisions on their behalf.
And I would also like our media to give them the opportunity / obligation to do so.
2
8
96
GOOD NEWS! Facebook will release information on advertising during
#8thref
, giving us an idea of the overall number of ads & money spent. An important precedent that Google should now follow, as
@EamonRyan
puts it, who has been pushing for this for months
1
34
92
A bunch of us have written to all Irish parties asking them to commit to campaigning honestly and openly online in
#GE2020
The UK GE was a race to the bottom of toxic tactics - hate, lies, financial misconduct - voters here want better & I believe that parties do to
We are asking all Irish parties and candidates to commit to playing fair online in the upcoming election. For more info visit
#GE2020
#FairPlayPledge
1
25
46
6
38
91
This is a HUGE sum of money in Irish politics....
7
39
90
It’s the epitome of a collective action problem - if you’re affected & you manage to eek something out or nab & afford a rare place somewhere, you keep your head down. If you don’t manage, you scream into the void
1
1
92
⚡️Your periodic reminder that the "Walled Garden" internet - where platforms replace the web, & 3.5 billion people can lose their ability to reach their family/ access news & services / run a business because someone deletes a few lines of code - is a *deliberate business tactic*
0
31
90
Communications for the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is to be handed over to... the dude from LADbible
The memeification of government is complete
2
33
87
Politics is a brutal profession & for candidates an unpaid one that can come at personal expense
It is rare to hear a candidate speak so candidly about what it takes to run - selling her car, time out from work
Candidates get expenses back up to €38k- but she's 400 votes short
Social Democrats Dublin candidate Sinéad Gibney said it is "gut-wrenching, but that's the game" after she was just over 400 votes short of the amount that would her have allowed to recoup the cost of running her campaign | Follow live:
33
8
165
1
24
92
Can I highly recommend treating yourself to a newspaper subscription? It’s like getting post but instead of a bill it’s thoughtful writing & stories & opinion & information & calm
€5/week for
@IrishTimes
digital+Saturday print
€8/month for
@DublinInquirer
digital+monthly print
3
14
90
To everyone losing jobs today - know that there is an ecosystem of people - technologists, academics, activists, journos - who want to make our info ecosystems healthier & corporate accountability stronger & need your skills. We don’t pay as well, but we won’t treat you like this
2
17
87
Facebook release info on spend on their platform in
#8thref
€1.4m
That’s a lot of money in Irish politics - about 4 times what it cost Michael D to win the presidency & 74 TIMES what avg successful TD spent in 2015
& it’s spend that is entirely unregulated in Irish law
2
73
82
Irish democracy in a tweet 💚
4
15
85
Big news! Twitter banning political ads globally.
And a sensible move. They opted out of ads for
#8thref
& avoided getting caught up in bad actors trying to distort that vote.
I’d love to know how they will define / filter out political ads...
We’ve made the decision to stop all political advertising on Twitter globally. We believe political message reach should be earned, not bought. Why? A few reasons…🧵
14K
82K
348K
1
21
84
Your annual reminder that in Irish tradition today is the last day of winter & tomorrow the first day of spring.
I vote for world wide adoption of this for this year. Let’s put this dark, grim winter behind us.
4
5
82
Looks like we are finally go on the Electoral Reform Bill! A chance for Ireland to lead the world, building a digitally savvy electoral commission, from scratch
A bunch of us wrote to the minister a few months back - I’m looking forward to this process!
Interesting - Cabinet agrees to draft Electoral Reform Bill, providing for: the establishment of a statutory, independent electoral commission; the modernisation of the Register of Electors; and the regulation of online political advertising during electoral events
@rtenews
18
89
391
3
18
81
The broader economic & societal consequences of 100s of 1000s of parents not being able to have the career progression / balance they want in those 2/3 years must be huge. There’s potentially another 20-30 years of societal contribution beyond the family on the other side
3
1
77
Indo now reporting 500k downloads - that’s incredible for an app launched today in a country of 5m
It also shows what can happen when Gov or other tech developers are transparent in their processes, & design privacy first tech - and when their feet are held to the fire to do so
Coronavirus: HSE reports 250,000 downloads of new contact-tracing app since launch;
via
@IrishTimes
0
1
1
1
14
73
🚨
#Jobfairy
klaxon 🚨
We're looking to hire an intern to work with us for the next 5-9 months on projects and campaigns aiming to strengthen democracy in the face of digital threats.
Dublin based, part- or full-time, and we pay the
#livingwage
3
74
76
The joy in my timeline at this is palpable. Filter bubble? Never..
308ps to get through - the test for me on digital stuff will be if we're building an institution capable of adapting as threats evolve, or simply institutionalising current policies by the dominant platforms
We've just published the General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020. It includes:
▶️ An Electoral Commission for Ireland
▶️ Modernising our electoral register
▶️ Regulating online political advertising in the run-up to electoral events
More 👉
9
53
205
3
11
73
“Holy Catholic Ireland was a monstrous hoax.” The anger of a generation summed up in
@campaignforkate
’s words today. We were raised on a monstrous lie.
5
36
71
“when I talk to dissidents.. they rarely ask me how they can post information anonymously, but do often ask me how to authenticate the information they post”
3
37
74
I’m marking this one as a win.Not nearly everything we need, but it will help improve scrutiny of
#8thref
. Facebook acknowledged in committee our work was a factor, so thanks to
@whotargetsme
& everyone who’s building the database & shared our work.We’re only getting started 💪🏼
Big news - Facebook will implement a part of their transparency plan - the ability to see the ads that a page has paid for- IN IRELAND FROM 25th. A positive first step. This will help us build out our database, as we wait for a platform fed offline list to be implemented.
#8thRef
4
43
79
7
28
70
When I ranted about this the other day, my replies & DMs blew up. It wasn't just me - formal small baby childcare in Ireland doesn't exist. Thank you
@thejournal_ie
for giving me space to turn my rant on this into more coherent thoughts
Accessible, affordable & flexible, please
Opinion: 'Ask your Ma for help' is not a good policy for childcare in Ireland, writes
@LizCarolan
. "Early years childcare is an investment and should be a public good, not an industry"
2
32
114
1
4
71
There I was, sat at home with a cup of tea after a morning as sticker-postwoman - & I realise I’d forgotten to actually vote myself 😂
Job done - don’t think I’ve ever had so much choice on a ballot paper - last few years have mobilised so many ppl, & we’re richer for it
#iVoted
1
4
70
@TransparentRef
Hmm... this tweet seems to have been deleted. Thanks
@Tupp_Ed
for screengrabbing
#aras18
2
47
65
Still waiting for the results, and need to do the full analysis, but I can’t help thinking that this is the first time Ireland had a highly sophisticated, well-financed, data-driven digital campaign, with misinfo & foreign funding, and it looks like it did not work
#8thref
0
25
64
I would also like to know why 1 MEP voted FOR a loophole threatening the DSA - one that democracy activists and Nobel Prize winner and freedom of expression advocate
@mariaressa
came out against.
The only Irish MEP to vote for AM 511/2 was
@sinnfeinireland
's Chris MacManus
1
8
65
🚨 JOB ALERT! 🚨
Come work with myself and
@SadMartlew
on Digital Action, a new project we are setting up building coalitions to counter digital threats to democracy!
2
64
66
A project we dreamed up over beers & delivered with no budget is up for an award along side these fine folks. It’s mad what you can do if you give something a name & a way for people to chip in...
@DeutscheBank
are back with us again for a 3rd year powering the Award for Best Use of
#Data
to Achieve
#Socialimpact
. Well done to our finalists:
@Accenture
@DataKindUK
@DeloitteUK
@BioDataCentre
@TransparentRef
#8thRef
#DatSciAwards
0
6
7
6
15
63
In a few weeks we will be WFH, but this week, if you’re productivity has been 30%, you’re doing well.
The mental load of all this, of taking care of yourself & household & loved ones, is phenomenal. It is exhausting.
I repeat, this is not WFH, it is something else
2
10
62
You can hear this face for radio on
@TheBusinessRTE
this morning.
Rumour has it there’s a rugby match on at the same time, but wouldn’t you rather hear us chat about political ads & internet regulation?
3
2
62
Sometimes when I’m singing to distract my child so I can hang yet more laundry, I remember decisions over women’s fertility were for years made by celibate men who despite living alone & having a v part-time job, passed a plate around to pay for a housekeeper
#makeNMHours
please
0
6
58
It's not Pat's fault, but these leaks / trial balloons are killers.
Is it too much to ask for official announcements that give certainty? This has been going on since Friday and it is **exhausting**
2
8
56