‘Conceited billionaire’: Australia, Musk in confrontation over censorship | Social Media

Elon Musk and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese conflict over order to take away X posts on church stabbing.

Australia and Elon Musk have escalated their confrontation over censorship after an Australian court docket ordered social media platform X to take away footage of a church stabbing.

An Australian choose on Monday dominated that X should block customers worldwide from accessing movies of a knife assault on an Assyrian Christian bishop in Sydney after the nation’s web watchdog sought an injunction.

The Federal Court docket in Sydney granted the non permanent world ban after X had stated it might problem eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant’s discover to take away posts associated to final week’s assault on Mar Mari Emmanuel.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated on Tuesday that the federal government was ready to tackle Musk, whom he labelled an “smug billionaire who thinks he’s above the regulation, but in addition above frequent decency”.

“What the eSafety Commissioner is doing is doing her job to guard the pursuits of Australians, and the concept that somebody would go to court docket for the best to place up violent content material on a platform reveals how out-of-touch Mr Musk is. Social media must have social duty with it. Mr Musk isn’t displaying any,” Albanese informed public broadcaster ABC.

Albanese had earlier stated it was “extraordinary” that X had determined to problem the eSafety commissioner’s discover and denied the problem was a matter of freedom of speech.

Musk, who purchased the platform formally often called Twitter in 2022, on Tuesday indicated that he would struggle the court docket order.

“Our concern is that if ANY nation is allowed to censor content material for ALL international locations, which is what the Australian ‘eSafety Commissar’ is demanding, then what’s to cease any nation from controlling your complete Web?” Musk stated on X.

“We’ve got already censored the content material in query for Australia, pending authorized attraction, and it’s saved solely on servers within the USA.”

Musk earlier posted a meme depicting X as being pro-free speech and different social media platforms supporting censorship and propaganda, with the caption: “Don’t take my phrase for it, simply ask the Australian PM!”

Australia’s authorities has blamed social media posts associated to the assault on Emmanuel for inflaming group tensions in multicultural Sydney.

Below its On-line Security Act handed in 2021, Australia has been on the forefront of efforts to carry tech corporations chargeable for the content material posted on their platforms.

Emmanuel, a distinguished conservative chief of the Assyrian Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley in western Sydney, suffered lacerations to his head when he was attacked final Monday throughout a mass service that was being broadcast on-line.

Greater than 50 law enforcement officials had been injured and 20 police vehicles broken in an ensuing riot exterior the church.

Emmanuel, who survived the assault, launched a message final week saying he was “doing wonderful, recovering in a short time” and that he had forgiven his attacker.

Police on Friday charged a 16-year-old with terrorism offences in reference to the stabbing.