Elon Musk lashed out at Australia's prime minister after a court ordered his social media company X to take down footage of an alleged terrorist attack in Sydney, and said the ruling meant any country could control "the entire internet."

Council of the City of Sydney

Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur and owner of the social media company X, has publicly criticized a court ruling from Australia that mandates the removal of footage related to an alleged terrorist attack in Sydney. Musk expressed his concern via his social media platform, suggesting that such a decision implies any nation could potentially exert control over the entirety of the internet. The controversy arose following a court order directing X to conceal videos of an incident, which occurred recently, involving a teenage individual charged with terrorism after attacking an Assyrian priest among others.

The incident prompted action from Australia's federal court, culminating in a decision to temporarily restrict access to the videos related to the attack. Despite efforts by X to block the video's visibility to Australian users by making it inaccessible from Australian IP addresses, reports have emerged of the footage still being viewable within the country. This discrepancy led to a response from Australia's e-safety commissioner who advocated for the complete removal of the content, citing its explicit violent nature.

Following Musk's criticism, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded by denouncing what he perceived as Musk's arrogance, underlining a disregard for Australian legislation. Albanese emphasized the issue is not about censorship but about exercising common sense and decency, urging Musk to acknowledge these values. This standoff marks the latest development in an ongoing global dialogue regarding the balance between internet freedom and the regulation of digital content by both governmental and non-governmental entities. This dialogue includes past legal challenges faced by X, such as a dismissed U.S. lawsuit against a hate speech watchdog and a fine imposed by Australia's e-safety commissioner over the platform's handling of anti-child abuse content, which X is currently contesting in court.



Elon Musk decries Australian court 'censorship' of X

Elon Musk lashed out at Australia's Prime Minister on Tuesday. That's after a court ordered his social media company X to take down footage of an alleged terrorist attack in Sydney. The ruling, Musk said on X, meant that any country could control, quote, the entire internet. The post came after an overnight hearing in which Australia's federal court ordered X to temporarily hide videos of the incident a week earlier, in which a teenager was charged with terrorism for knifing an Assyrian priest and others. X said it had already blocked the post from Australian users, but Australia's e-safety commissioner had said the content should be taken down since it showed explicit violence. Although Musk wrote in another post that X had made the attack footage, quote, inaccessible to Australian IP addresses, a Reuters reporter in Australia was able to view the video. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hit back at Musk hours later. Well, this guy is showing his arrogance. He's a billionaire over there in the United States who thinks he's above Australian law. This isn't about censorship. It's about common sense and common decency, and Elon Musk should show some. The standoff is the most recent front in the battle between the world's largest internet platforms and countries and non-profits seeking more oversight of the content hosted on them. Last month, a U.S. judge threw out a lawsuit by X against a hate speech watchdog. In Australia, the e-safety commissioner fined X last year for failing to cooperate with a probe on anti-child abuse practices, which X is currently fighting in court. Spokespeople for X and the e-safety commissioner were not immediately available for comment.

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