Elon Musk’s Platform Faces Censorship Clash
Elon Musk, the tech billionaire, has been accused of censorship by Australian authorities following a ruling that his social media platform X must globally block users from accessing a video showing a bishop being stabbed in a Sydney church. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has criticized Musk, labeling him as an “arrogant billionaire” who believes he’s above the law and out of touch with the public.
X Corp., the technology company formerly known as Twitter following Elon Musk’s acquisition in 2023, made headlines last week when it announced its intention to contest Australian court orders demanding the removal of posts related to the knife attack on Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel during a live stream service at an Assyrian Orthodox church on April 15.
Despite geoblocking the material in Australia, it remained accessible elsewhere. The regulatory body responsible for issuing these orders, Australia’s eSafety Commission, which prides itself on being the world’s first government agency solely dedicated to enhancing online safety, successfully petitioned the Federal Court in Sydney for a temporary global prohibition on the dissemination of the video depicting the bishop’s stabbing.
Musk Mocks Australian PM Amid Censorship Clash
During an after-hours session on Monday, Justice Geoffrey Kennett issued an injunction suppressing the footage for all users of X Corp. until Wednesday, when a hearing for a permanent ban will take place. Following the
events, Elon Musk took to his personal X account mere hours later, sharing a cartoon illustration portraying a forked road. One path symbolized “free speech” and “truth,” while the other depicted “censorship” and “propaganda.”
Musk referenced Prime Minister Albanese’s remarks to reporters on Monday, where Albanese highlighted that other social media platforms had largely complied with the regulator’s directives to remove violent content. Musk’s post included a sarcastic expression of gratitude towards the Prime Minister for supposedly acknowledging his platform as the only truthful one. In response, Prime Minister Albanese criticized Musk in multiple television interviews conducted on Tuesday.
Albanese Challenges Musk: A Battle of Values Over Violent Content
Albanese asserted to the Australian Broadcasting Corp that they would take necessary measures against Elon Musk, whom they described as an arrogant billionaire disregarding both the law and basic decency by advocating for violent content on his platform.
He emphasized that Musk’s actions were out of touch and lacked common sense, stating that social media platforms must exercise social responsibility. Albanese further criticized Musk on Sky News, condemning his prioritization of ego and violence over sensibility. He clarified to Seven Network that the issue wasn’t about censorship but about demonstrating common sense and decency, urging Musk to do the same.
That is exactly the issue.
Should the eSafety Commissar (an unelected official) in Australia have authority over all countries on Earth? https://t.co/wzv4Uinx8y
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 23, 2024
In court, the regulator’s lawyer argued that geoblocking in Australia didn’t align with the legal definition of removing the footage, emphasizing its graphic and violent nature causing irreparable harm. Musk has referred to eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant as the “Australian censorship commissar,” according to Albanese. Albanese highlighted how social media posts and dissemination of violent images worsened the suffering caused by recent incidents, including a church attack and a knife attack at a Sydney shopping mall.
Escalating Tensions: X’s Legal Battle and Fallout from Church Attack
X’s Global Government Affairs team stated on Saturday that Inman Grant had instructed them to take down certain posts related to the church attack, asserting that these posts did not violate X’s rules on violent speech. According to X, the Australian regulator demanded the platform to “globally withhold these posts or face a daily fine of $785,000.”
X argued that the eSafety Commissioner’s order exceeded Australian law’s scope and complied with the directive only pending a legal challenge. They emphasized that while they respect a country’s right to enforce its laws within its jurisdiction, the eSafety Commissioner lacks the authority to dictate global content access for X’s users. They declared their intention to vigorously contest this perceived unlawful and hazardous approach in court.
Following the live stream of the church attack and ensuing social media activity, a crowd of 2,000 people gathered, leading to a riot against police who had barricaded the suspected attacker inside the place of worship. This riot resulted in injuries to 51 police officers and damage to 104 police vehicles, as per officials.
By Sunday, three alleged rioters had been arrested, and on Monday, police released images of 12 suspects they allege were the primary instigators of the violence, identified from riot footage .A 16-year-old suspect has been charged with terrorism offenses in connection to the stabbings. He has garnered both online condemnation and praise for the attack.
