Australia’s e-safety commissioner Julie Inman Grant announced in a press release Wednesday that Australia has dropped its legal battle against Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) to have graphic footage of a church stabbing in Sydney removed from the social media platform.
Grant stated, “I have decided to discontinue the proceedings in the Federal Court against X Corp,” following numerous court proceedings and the expiration of a temporary injunction that aimed to conceal the video on the platform. Grant emphasized that this decision is “likely to achieve the most positive outcome for the online safety of all Australians, especially children.”
The video, recorded on April 15, depicted a 16-year-old boy allegedly stabbing Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel during a live-streamed sermon at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, Sydney. Grant had questioned the ease with which minors could access this graphic content on X and the justification for its free distribution.
X’s Global Government Affairs team celebrated the decision, stating that they are “heartened to see that freedom of speech has prevailed.”
Initially, the e-safety commission had demanded that X globally withhold these posts, under the threat of a daily fine of $785,000 AUD. A Federal Court granted an interim injunction requiring X Corp to conceal Class 1 content specified in eSafety’s removal notice dated April 16, 2024.
After contesting the injunction in court, X did geoblock the content in Australia, although users could still access it through VPNs.
Although the legal pursuit has been dropped, the e-safety commission has pledged to maintain its authority under the Online Safety Act to protect Australians from significant online risks.
The original article can be found here.