Australia's eSafety Commissioner attempted to have graphic footage of a church stabbing in Sydney removed from Elon Musk's social media platform X, following a terror incident that led to riots.
The Commissioner threatened X and other social media companies with fines for not complying with the request, which was seen as a test of Australia's online safety rules.
The Federal Court temporarily ordered X to hide the videos, but the company refused, arguing the order was not valid.
X eventually blocked access to the video in Australia, but users could bypass this restriction using a VPN.
Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant of the Australian eSafety Commission requested the removal of a violent video on Twitter, leading to
Elon Musk labeling her a "censorship commissar." Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticized Musk as an "arrogant billionaire." Inman-Grant decided to drop the case due to "multiple considerations," aiming for the best outcome for online safety, especially for children.
She stated that her goal was to prevent the video from going viral and causing further harm.
Twitter's Global Government Affairs team expressed relief that freedom of speech had prevailed.
The text is about
Tesla and SpaceX CEO
Elon Musk's Twitter account being used to spread information about the Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand.
The text mentions that the social media platform, Twitter, had previously argued against "global takedown orders" issued by the New Zealand government, stating that they are "unlawful and dangerous" and threaten free speech.
However, after the shootings, Twitter removed Musk's tweets that contained links to the livestream of the tragedy.
The text also mentions that the head of the Christchurch Call to Action Against Online Violence, Ms. Inman-Grant, had previously experienced online harassment and threats as a result of Musk's attention on her.