Australia has abandoned its legal pursuit to remove graphic footage of a church stabbing in Sydney from Elon Musk’s social media platform X.
The attack on Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel in April, deemed a terror incident by police, was livestreamed online and sparked riots outside the Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley.
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, an independent regulator, issued threats of hefty fines to X and other social media platforms if they did not remove the stabbing videos, citing concerns of potential incitement to further violence.
The case was viewed as a litmus test of Australia’s capacity to enforce its online safety regulations on major social media platforms.
While the Federal Court had initially ordered X to conceal the videos temporarily, the platform refused to comply, arguing the order’s validity.
Although X, previously known as Twitter, eventually restricted access to the video within Australia, users could circumvent this restriction using VPNs.
Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant, a former Twitter employee herself, advocated for the global removal of the video, drawing criticism from Elon Musk, who dubbed her a “censorship commissar.” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined in, labeling Musk as an “arrogant billionaire.”
In a statement, Ms. Inman-Grant explained that dropping the case was the most prudent course of action considering “multiple considerations,” particularly the safety of Australians, particularly children, online. She emphasized the Commission’s aim to prevent the violent footage from spreading further and potentially instigating more harm in the community.
Both Inman-Grant and Minister for Communication Michelle Rowland affirmed their support for the eSafety Commission’s decisions.
X’s Global Government Affairs team expressed satisfaction that “freedom of speech has prevailed,” contending that the Commission’s orders were “unlawful and dangerous.” They argued against global takedown orders, asserting they contradicted the principles of a free and open internet and posed threats to free speech universally.
Ms. Inman-Grant disclosed that Musk’s involvement led to a barrage of threats from his millions of followers, including death threats and the exposure of her children’s personal information online.
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