Elon Musk’s social media platform X was granted a reprieve on Monday after an Australian court ruled against extending a temporary order to block videos of a stabbing incident at a Sydney church.
According to local media, a federal court judge has rejected an attempt by Australia’s internet watchdog, the eSafety Commissioner, to extend an order to delete posts on X that showed the brutal attack on a priest in April.
A sermon that was livestreamed in which Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was stabbed got hundreds of millions of views on social media.
After the incident, the nation’s eSafety Commissioner was given a temporary court injunction directing X to take off posts that included videos of the attack.
Musk contested the court order as an infringement on free speech.
“Our concern is that if ANY country is allowed to censor content for ALL countries, which is what the Australian ‘eSafety Commissar’ is demanding, then what is to stop any country from controlling the entire Internet?” Musk stated on X.
A heated argument broke out between Musk and members of the Australian government, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, over the event.
During a recent interview, Albanese criticized Musk for his “arrogance” and stated he believed “he is above Australian law.”
Albanese had pointed out at the time that: “The e-Safety Commissioner has made a ruling. The other social media platforms all complied without complaint. This is a measure that has a bipartisan support in this country,”
He said, “This isn’t about censorship,” but rather “decency,” and Musk need to “show some.”
Musk replied Albanese by posting on X, saying, “I do not think I’m above the law. Does the PM think he should have jurisdiction over all of Earth?”
He went on, “This platform adheres to the laws of countries in those countries, but it would be improper to extend one country’s rulings to other countries,”
Australia’s Internet watchdog stated in a statement last month that it’s difficult to get rid of harmful information entirely from the internet, especially when people keep reposting it.
However, the eSafety Commissioner stated that online safety, “requires platforms to do everything practical and reasonable to minimize the harm it may cause to Australians,”
