Waterford garda calls for increase in online safety measures in wake of nationwide fuel protests
A blockade at the Whitegate Oil refinery in Cork was brought to an end on Saturday, April 11, following a week of charged protest
A Waterford garda has called for an increase in online safety measures for Gardaí in the wake of nationwide fuel protests.
Peter Firth, a garda attached to the Waterford division who is the county's representative on the Garda Representative Association (GRA), told the that gardaí are now facing “a new phenomenon” of online persecution.
“We had, as a result of the fuel blockades, one member very much targeted by a lot of people online, and that's now subject to a criminal investigation, and that caused great distress for him and his family,” Garda Firth said.
Speaking at the annual GRA conference in April, Garda Firth called for an emergency motion that would see the introduction of a policy ensuring the safety of gardaí subjected to online threats or doxxing.
Garda Firth referenced the experience of a colleague at the Whitegate oil refinery blockade while speaking at the conference.
He said his colleague was subject to doctored images that were intended to convince online viewers he had pepper-sprayed a 14-year-old boy.
The garda then had his address shared online.
“The urgent motion was accepted by conference, so it now lies with the commissioner to go further than he already has,” said Garda Firth.
“We hope he does so as soon as possible, and to engage with us, with the Garda Representative Association, and develop a policy to help protect members, and, by extension, their families.
“If a policy is implemented, it holds certain standards which will then protect members and protect our families.”
In a world where AI continues to become more powerful and the surrounding information ecosystem increasingly shows its cracks, things may be bound to only get worse.
“I have only become aware of it as a result of the protests, and I believe it's something that will be becoming more prevalent going forward…the online agitators and the people looking to cause unrest and maybe interrupt legitimate policing and legitimate protests,” Garda Firth said.
The GRA's General Secretary, Ronan Slevin, previously told the that members from the South East were identified online, and had sensitive information about their children’s place of education leaked online.
