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Forbes
Forbes
22 Apr 2024


Australian government officials, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and opposition leaders, attacked Elon Musk and his social media platform X on Monday after the company refused to comply with a government order to take down posts and videos about a knife attack on a church bishop that police have deemed a terror attack.

7th Viva Technology Conference In Paris - Day 3

X owner Elon Musk has come under criticism from Australian government officials over the platforms ... [+] refusal to takedown posts related to the church stabbing.

Getty Images

Last week, X’s Global Government Affairs team said it would legally challenge an order by Australia’s eSafety Commissioner to take down violent and offensive posts of the attack, arguing the commission did not have “the authority to dictate what content X’s users can see globally.”

Speaking to reporters in Canberra on Monday, Albanese said: “I find it extraordinary that X chose not to comply and are trying to argue their case,” adding that the issue wasn’t about freedom of expression but rather dangerous misinformation that can be “weaponized.”

Musk targeted the country’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant on X over the weekend, calling her the “Australian censorship commissar,” claiming her agency was demanding “*global* content bans,” and sharing a post accusing her of being an activist trying to “police the internet” and “censor debate.”

In an interview on Monday, Australian Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said Musk was an “egotistical billionaire” who thinks it’s more “important for him to show whatever he wants on X…than to respect the victims of the crimes.”

The government has found backing from the leader of the country’s opposition coalition, Peter Dutton, who accused social media companies of acting “above the law” and offered support for legislation to crack down on misinformation.

Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Australian Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said: “Quite frankly, the public has had a gutful of these narcissistic billionaires who think they are above the law. They have a social responsibility to do the right thing by their consumers, they are not doing it.”

$505,000 (A$785,000). The quantum of fine X faces everyday for refusing to comply with the eSafety commissioner’s orders.