Musk's X admits noncompliance with Australian child protection request
Social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, has admitted it did not comply with a formal eSafety Commissioner notice requiring it to remove content involving child sexual abuse. The company faces fines of up to 800,000 Australian dollars per day. A federal court preliminary hearing has begun.
Social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, has admitted in a written statement to the federal court that it did not comply with a March notice from the eSafety Commissioner requiring it to remove posts containing child sexual abuse material. According to ABC News Australia, eSafety stressed that X's refusal to cooperate actively put children at risk.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant told reporters that 'platforms will learn that they are not neutral infrastructure and that they are legally responsible for their own content decisions'. Under the relevant law, failure to comply with a notice can attract administrative penalties of up to 800,000 Australian dollars per day. X had removed similar material from public-facing surfaces in February but continued to host it on its content backend.
A preliminary federal court hearing has begun in Sydney. X's lawyers argued that the company's headquarters is in the United States and that regulatory powers may be limited; the court will weigh that argument in June. Australia's communications minister said the case is precedent-setting for other large platforms.
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