The Australian eSafety commissioner recently threatened X Corp. with $500,000 daily fines if the company did not remove specific posts, according to Reuters. X Corp's Global Government Affairs Team claimed the order violates free speech and the Australian government does not have the authority to dictate what content is allowed on a global social media platform.
Because of this, X Corp. has announced that it filed a legal challenge against the directive, citing that the company does not believe the order is protected under Australian law.
"The recent attacks in Australia are a horrific assault on free society. Our condolences go out to those who have been affected, and we stand with the Australian people in calling for those responsible to be brought to justice," wrote X Corp Global Affairs.
"Following these events, the Australian eSafety Commissioner ordered X to remove certain posts in Australia that publicly commented on the recent attack against a Christian Bishop. These posts did not violate X’s rules on violent speech," X Corp. continued.
"X believes that eSafety’s order was not within the scope of Australian law and we complied with the directive pending a legal challenge. X has now received a demand from the eSafety Commissioner that X globally withhold these posts or face a daily fine of $785,000 AUD (about $500,000 USD)," the company explained. "This was a tragic event and we do not allow people to praise it or call for further violence. There is a public conversation happening about the event, on X and across Australia, as is often the case when events of major public concern occur."
"While X respects the right of a country to enforce its laws within its jurisdiction, the eSafety Commissioner does not have the authority to dictate what content X’s users can see globally. We will robustly challenge this unlawful and dangerous approach in court," the company added.
"Global takedown orders go against the very principles of a free and open internet and threaten free speech everywhere," concluded X Corp.
It's unclear which posts the Australian government has demanded X Corp. remove, but the stabbing of the Christian bishop sparked mass outrage in Sydney.
On Thursday, police charged a 16-year-old teenager with terrorism for allegedly stabbing Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel at a church in the New South Wales capital on Monday. Footage from the scene showed the child being detained by the crowd while shouting claims that Emmanuel had disrespected Islam.
