Billionaire Elon Musk and Australia are on a collision course over what constitutes free speech.
His social media platform is preparing to fight Australia over the publication of a video showing the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel at a church in Sydney.
“The Australian censorship commissar is demanding *global* content bans,” he tweeted on X, formerly Twitter.
Footage of the stabbing, captured from a livestream of the bishop giving a service at the Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd church, has been circulating online. The Bishop is recovering and has forgiven the attacker. A16-year-old has been charged.
eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant sees the content as “extreme and gratuitous”.
“That is why I am exercising my powers under the Online Safety Act to formally compel them (X) to remove it,” she said.
The eSafety Commissioner last month issued legal notices to Google, Meta, Twitter/X, WhatsApp, Telegram and Reddit requiring them to report on steps they are taking to protect Australians from terrorist and violent extremist material and activity.
According to X, the eSafety commissioner has threatened fines each day of up to $$785,000 if the social media platform doesn’t take down the footage.
“X believes that eSafety’s order was not within the scope of Australian law,” the social media platform said in a tweet.
However, X said it had complied with the directive, pending a legal challenge.
“This was a tragic event and we do not allow people to praise it or call for further violence,” X said.
“There is a public conversation happening about the event, on X and across Australia, as is often the case when events of major public concern occur.
“While X respects the right of a country to enforce its laws within its jurisdiction, the eSafety Commissioner does not have the authority to dictate what content X’s users can see globally.
“We will robustly challenge this unlawful and dangerous approach in court.
“Global takedown orders go against the very principles of a free and open internet and threaten free speech everywhere.”
The federal government is up for a court battle, according to health minister Mark Butler.
"Australia is not going to be bullied by Elon Musk or any other tech billionaire in our commitment to making sure social media is a safe space," he said.
eSafety said it was working to ensure the X’s full and complete compliance with Australian law.
“We are considering whether further regulatory action is warranted,” a spokesperson said.
“eSafety is disappointed that process has been unnecessarily prolonged, rather than prioritising the safety of Australians and the Australian community.
“eSafety is aware social media users continue to upload and reshare distressing content and appreciates it is challenging for platforms to manage this.
“We are also aware some platforms are responding by applying technological solutions to prevent or reduce proliferation.”
NSW Premier Chris Minns said it was unacceptable that video of the attack on the bishop stay online.
"These are unedited images of an alleged crime that are guaranteed to sow division in the community and make passions boil over," he said.
"And secondly it's completely inappropriate for children."
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.