Elon Musk Attacks Australian PM for Censorship on Social Media

Amid a controversy over social media censorship, Elon Musk has blasted Australia’s Prime Minister Albanese, casting doubt on his authority to oversee global internet management.

Elon Musk openly chastised Australia’s prime minister on Tuesday following a court order for his social media business X to take down video of a purported terrorist incident in Sydney. According to Musk, the decision meant that any nation could rule “the entire internet.”

A week earlier, X, the former name of Twitter, was ordered by Australia’s Federal Court to temporarily remove posts that featured video footage of the event. A juvenile suspect in the crime faces terrorism charges after using a knife to attack an Assyrian priest and other people.

Due to the violent violence described, Australia’s e-Safety Commissioner insisted on the posts’ removal, even though X claimed it had previously restricted access to them for Australian users.

Musk responded by questioning whether the Prime Minister thought he should have jurisdiction over the entire internet.

Musk posted a meme on the platform, presenting X as standing for “free speech and truth” as opposed to other social media platforms that symbolize “censorship and propaganda.” Musk purchased X in 2022 with the intention of preserving free expression.

As requested by the Australian e-Safety Commissioner, Musk expressed concern that permitting any nation to censor information for all countries could lead to total internet control by any nation.

This disagreement, which was started by the third-richest person in the world, represents a new conflict between significant online retailers and organizations calling for more control over content.

A U.S. judge recently dismissed X’s case against the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a monitoring group that combats hate speech.

Furthermore, X was fined A$610,500 by the Australian e-Safety Commissioner last year for failing to cooperate with an inquiry into anti-child abuse protocols; X is presently contested this penalty in court.

In response to Musk’s statements, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticized the billionaire’s position and declared that the nation would take the required measures to combat his alleged haughtiness and contempt for common courtesy.

Musk’s claim that a platform’s right to broadcast violent content required court action was criticized by Albanese, who said it was out of step with society norms.

It was not possible to reach X or the e-Safety Commissioner’s representatives for comment at this time.

The movie was still viewable on the site, a Reuters reporter in Australia confirmed, in contrast to Musk’s assertion that X has blocked access to the content for Australian IP addresses. A far-right senator also shared the video again on their X account.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, used in-house techniques to locate and remove copies of the videos showing the attack on the church and a separate, fatal stabbing at a mall in Sydney in response to the tragedy.

Posts that glorified or praised the incidents in any way were to be removed, according to a meta announcement.

The executive director of the internet policy non-profit Reset. Tech Australia, Alice Dawkins, described Musk’s remarks as indicative of X’s careless attitude toward user safety, in contrast to the platform’s prior dedication to these issues under previous leadership.