Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has criticized Elon Musk, the CEO of X, for his behaviour regarding the platform’s reluctance to remove footage of a church stabbing in Sydney. On Monday, an Australian court ordered X to hide the videos, but Musk pushed back, using memes to accuse the government of censorship.
Albanese responded by labelling Musk an “arrogant billionaire” and claiming that he “thinks he’s above the law and common decency.” The Prime Minister defended eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, who sought the court injunction and emphasized the need for social media responsibility.
However, X argued that the removal order was “not within the scope of Australian law,” but the court ultimately disagreed with this stance. As a result, the platform has been given 24 hours to comply with the order, with a further hearing scheduled for a later date.
It is worth noting that this dispute comes at a time when X and the eSafety Commissioner are already engaged in legal proceedings over the platform’s handling of child abuse material online.
Musk’s online posts targeted both Albanese and Inman Grant, with one depicting a path to “freedom” leading to an X logo. In response, Albanese reiterated the importance of social media responsibility and criticized Musk for not showing it.
Overall, this feud highlights the ongoing tensions between governments and social media platforms over content regulation and responsibility.
