Elon Musk’s social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has lost an appeal against a $610,500 (£318,000) fine levied by the Australian regulators.
The fine was levied against X for under Australia’s Online Safety Act after the country’s eSafety commissioner criticised the platform’s inadequate responses to queries of child abuse material circulating on the platform.
On Friday, Federal Court Justice Michael Wheelahan ordered X to pay the fine plus additional costs to the eSafety body.
“Early last year, we asked some of the world’s biggest technology companies, including Twitter, to report on steps they were taking to comply with the Australian Government’s Basic Online Safety Expectations in relation to child sexual exploitation and abuse material on their platforms,” Ms Inman Grant said on Friday.
“Had X Corp’s argument been accepted by the court it could have set the concerning precedent that a foreign company’s merger with another foreign company might enable it to avoid regulatory obligations in Australia.”
Musk has accused Australia of fascism for its attempt to tackle the spread of online misinformation.
Fascists https://t.co/NQcR9justJ— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 12, 2024
Under new proposals, Australia will be able to find internet platforms up to 5% of their global revenue for facilitating misinformation.
The line between where free speech ends and misinformation begins has emerged as a volatile battle ground in the social media space.
As a self-proclaimed ‘free-speech absolutist’, Musk has positioned his 2022 takeover of the former Twitter as a means to preserve free speech in the US.