- Federal Court Orders Elon Musk’s X to Remove Footage of Church Stabbing
- The billionaire previously refused to remove videos for a global audience
An Australian court has ordered billionaire Elon Musk’s social media platform to block all users from viewing violent images related to a stabbing at a Sydney church, not just block them from the Australian public.
Amid political unity against X Corp’s defiant stance on keeping potentially harmful content online, the country’s internet police brought the matter to the Federal Court on Monday night.
During a hastily arranged hearing, a lawyer for the eSafety Commissioner said the “graphic and violent” video was still online on X, formerly known as Twitter.
It would cause “irreparable harm” if it continued to circulate, attorney Christopher Tran said.
The commissioner had ordered the footage removed, but X’s response was to block the video on Australian IP addresses, the court was told.
An Australian court has ordered billionaire Elon Musk’s social media platform to prevent all users from viewing violent images related to the Sydney church stabbing, not just block them from the Australian public.
The commissioner had ordered the removal of footage of the Sydney church stabbing (pictured) but X’s response was to block the video on Australian IP addresses, the court was told.
That left it accessible to international or Australian users using an overseas-based virtual private network.
“That was a choice, they could have done more,” Christopher Tran said.
At the very least, X should protect the images of all users, not just Australians, he said.
Anticipating a discussion about the United States’ right to free speech, Tran said it appeared that right did not extend to depictions of violence.
Musk had called the eSafety commissioner the “Australian censorship commissioner,” while his company raised concerns about free speech and jurisdiction over the takedown order.
X also called the Internet police move an “illegal and dangerous approach.”
Marcus Hoyne, appearing for X Corp, urged the court to adjourn the matter until he could seek “sensible and appropriate instructions” from his San Francisco-based client.
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant told reporters last week that while most major social media platforms had engaged with the commissioner over his order to remove videos of the alleged church stabbing, there was still much to do.
The eSafety commissioner’s court application was delivered at the last possible moment, he said.
Granting the order would affect international users “in circumstances where it has no impact in Australia”, he said.
However, his appeal failed.
Judge Geoffrey Kennett granted the requested interim order, suppressing the images for all X users until at least Wednesday afternoon.
The case will return to court on Wednesday to argue about a permanent expungement.
Politicians previously offered free assessments of Musk’s character as the federal government and opposition joined efforts to remove X’s graphic content.
Tanya Plibersek called him a “selfish billionaire”, Sarah Hanson-Young dubbed him a “narcissistic cowboy”, while Simon Birmingham attacked X’s “ridiculous and absurd argument” that the removal of footage of a terrorist attack should be left online.
