Australia’s independent online safety commissioner has launched fresh legal challenges against Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, accusing it of allowing harmful and graphic content to remain accessible to users.
Appearing before the Royal Commission into Antisemitism on Thursday, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said X failed to promptly remove graphic footage from the 2024 Bondi Junction stabbing attack, despite concerns that victims’ families could view the videos.
According to Inman Grant, the platform argued that the footage was comparable to violent scenes depicted in movies.
“We fought hard against X in terms of not allowing that post-mortem Bondi content,” she told the inquiry.
“But these are mainstream platforms that are fighting for the right and ability to distribute and monetise this content.”
The commissioner also referred to X’s successful legal challenge against an earlier order requiring the platform to remove footage showing the stabbing of Assyrian bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, a case that intensified debate over online safety and freedom of expression.
The hearings form part of the Royal Commission into Antisemitism’s third round of public proceedings, which has focused on the role of social media and traditional media in the spread of hate speech.
Inman Grant argued that changing regulatory approaches in some countries, particularly the United States, had weakened global efforts to hold technology companies accountable for harmful online content.
She said some platforms appeared increasingly willing to roll back safety protections because they believed they faced less regulatory pressure.
“Technology has never been more powerful and guardrails have never been weaker,” she told the commission.
“The geopolitics is very much playing into the fermentation of hate online because the platforms feel protected in rolling back protection.”
The inquiry is expected to continue on Friday with evidence from representatives of artificial intelligence company Anthropic, alongside testimony from senior Australian communications officials, as the commission examines the role of emerging technologies and online platforms in the spread of hate and harmful content.
