Fianna Fáil are set to propose new legislation this week to make it a criminal offence to actively promote ‘fake news’ in Ireland via social media platforms including Twitter and Facebook.

The legislation aims to put a stop to ‘fake news’ being spread over the internet.

The new bill, which was written by Fianna Fáil TD James Lawless, defines an online platform as any website with more than 10,000 visitors per month, according to Independent.ie.

Under the proposed laws it will be an offence to use internet ‘bots’ to influence political disputes, and those found guilty could be given a fine of between €500 and €10,000.

According to Irish legislation, a 'bot' is considered to be any software item that uses 25 or more online profiles to run automated tasks.

A prison sentence of up to five years could also be given to those responsible for actively promoting fake news online.

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