MELBOURNE, Australia — The clash between tech billionaire Elon Musk and Australia over censorship has escalated after a judge’s ruling resulted in X Corp., Musk’s social media platform, being required to block users worldwide from accessing video of a bishop being stabbed in a Sydney church. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned Musk as an “arrogant billionaire” who is out of touch with the public and above the law.
X Corp., formerly known as Twitter and rebranded by Musk, is facing a legal battle after announcing its intention to challenge Australian orders to remove posts related to the knife attack on Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel. The attack occurred during a service being streamed online on April 15. The material was initially geoblocked from Australia but remained available in other regions.
Australia’s eSafety Commission successfully applied for a temporary global ban on sharing the video of the bishop being stabbed, leading to Justice Geoffrey Kennett suppressing the footage from all X users until a hearing for a permanent ban on Wednesday.
In response to the controversy, Musk posted a cartoon on his personal X account illustrating a fork in the road with one path leading to “free speech” and “truth” and the other to “censorship” and “propaganda,” referencing Albanese’s comments about compliance with violent content removal on social media platforms.
Albanese criticized Musk in various television interviews, emphasizing the need for common decency and respect for the law in the online environment. The regulator’s lawyer argued in court that geoblocking content from Australia did not constitute its removal under Australian law, citing the potential for irreparable harm if the violent video continued to circulate.
X’s lawyer was unable to obtain instructions from the San Francisco-based client due to the time zone difference, raising questions about the company’s compliance with the court order. Musk’s ongoing clashes with the Australian regulators have fueled discussions about social media responsibility and the dissemination of violent content online.