Catfishing or impersonating a person online using fake photos would be outlawed under a new bill.
Under the proposed law, a person who impersonates another individual online in a way that causes alarm, distress or harm could face a penalty of up to five years in prison.
The bill has been reintroduced by Fianna Fáil Senator Fiona O'Loughlin, who said the legislation recognises that online abuse can be just as damaging, if not more so, than abuse that happens offline.
"Catfishing is not a joke. It's not just awkward online dating gone wrong. It is deception, often deliberate and manipulative, and in many cases, deeply damaging," she said.
"Whether it's a teenager targeted for exploitation, a grandparent conned out of their savings, or a young woman whose face is used to lure others, it's always a violation."
The bill would enable gardaí to make direct data requests to tech companies rather than victims going through the courts in a bid to retrieve basic information from platforms.
Fianna Fáil TD Ryan O'Meara said he had spoken to a number of young men in north Tipperary who were victims of catfishing.
"This is sending a message. This is far more serious than has been highlighted to date," he said.
"It's particularly worrying because of how deliberately manipulative and dangerous these actions can be. We see victims on both sides of it - the individuals whose pictures have been used to catfish and the individual who has been catfished.
"There can be major emotional and mental trauma as a result of this."
