Elon Musk, the billionaire founder and CEO of X (formerly Twitter), has refused to comply with an order from the Australian government to remove a stabbing video from his platform. The video, which shows a non-fatal knife attack on an Assyrian bishop, has been deemed terrorism by Australian authorities and has sparked protests near the crime scene. Australia’s eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, ordered X and Meta to delete the footage within 24 hours, but X has only removed it in Australia, arguing that the order is not within the scope of Australian law. A federal court has since ordered a temporary ban on the video for all X users, pending a hearing on a permanent ban on Wednesday.
Musk has defended his decision to keep the video up, arguing that “our concern is that if any country is allowed to censor content for all countries, which is what the Australian ‘eSafety Commissar’ is demanding, then what is to stop any country from controlling the entire Internet?”
The Australian government has threatened X with a daily fine of AUS$785,000 (US$510,000) if it does not comply with the order. Musk has responded by saying that he is willing to go to court to fight the order. The case is set to be heard on Wednesday.
The dispute between Musk and the Australian government has sparked a debate about the role of social media companies in regulating content on their platforms. Some argue that companies like X have a responsibility to remove harmful content, while others argue that they should not be held liable for the content that their users post. The outcome of the case could have a significant impact on the way that social media companies are regulated in the future.
