Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of Company X, speaks at the Milken Conference 2024 Global Conference Session held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, USA on May 6, 2024. Mr.
David Swanson | Reuters
Elon Musk's social media platform X won a reprieve on Monday after an Australian court refused to extend a temporary order blocking a video of a Sydney church stabbing.
According to local media, a federal judge has rejected an attempt by Australia's online watchdog, the eSafety Commissioner, to extend an injunction to remove a post on X showing violence against a priest in April. did.
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was stabbed during a livestreamed sermon that was widely shared online and racked up hundreds of thousands of views.
Following the incident, the country's eSafety Commissioner was granted a temporary legal injunction ordering X to hide posts showing footage of the attack.
Tech billionaire Musk challenged the earlier court order as an attack on free speech.
“Our concern is that if any country is allowed to censor content from all countries, as Australia's eSafety Commissar is calling for, then no country will be able to control the entire internet. What can be stopped?'' Musk posted on X.
The incident sparked a bitter conflict between Mr. Musk and the Australian government, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Mr Albanese said in an interview last month that he believed Mr Musk was “above Australian law” and accused him of his “arrogance”.
“The Electronic Safety Commission has ruled, and all other social media platforms have followed without complaint. This is a measure that has bipartisan support in this country,” Albanese said at the time. .
“This is not about censorship, this is about 'common sense,'” Musk added, “and something should be shown.”
In response to the, Mask posted on X: “I don't think I'm above the law. Do you think the Prime Minister should have jurisdiction over the entire planet?” Referring to Albanians.
“While this platform complies with the laws of each country, it would be inappropriate to apply a judgment from one country to another,” he said. Added.
In a statement on the issue last month, Australia's online regulator said it was difficult to completely remove harmful content online, especially as users continued to repost the content.
Still, to ensure online safety, “everything that is practical and reasonable must be done to minimize the harm that platforms can cause Australians”, the eSafety Commissioner said. added.
