Social media platform X claims to have followed an Australian Federal Court order to take down footage of the Wakeley church stabbing. However, the footage was still accessible to Australian users as it was posted right below the compliance announcement.
X stated that it complied with the law by “restricting” some posts for Australian users. They argue that the post should not have been banned in Australia and that the government shouldn’t have the power to censor content from users in other countries.
Last week, eSafety commissioners requested X to remove footage of an attack on Bishop Mar-Marie Emmanuel due to its graphic nature.
A federal court on Monday ordered X, previously known as Twitter, to hide posts with video of the Sydney church stabbing from global users. The Australian Federal Police raised concerns in court about the potential use of the video to incite terrorism.
Regulators asked X to remove 65 separate tweets containing videos of the attack.
X’s lawyers argued in court that they had already geo-blocked the posts in Australia, but the eSafety Commissioner insisted this was not sufficient.
Many tweets could still be accessed outside Australia or through VPNs within the country.
The court extended the injunction on Wednesday, ordering the posts to be hidden until May 10, 2024, pending further legal proceedings.
Late on Thursday, X’s Global Government Affairs account stated, “We feel we are complying with the eSafety notice and Australian law by restricting all relevant posts in Australia.” They also posted a statement.
However, a verified user, X, based in New Hampshire, USA, posted footage of the attack in response to X’s statement, which was visible to Australian users.
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X stated on Thursday that they believe the content did not incite violence and should be considered part of public debate, arguing against global content removal demands.
The company opposes government authority to censor online content and believes in respecting each country’s laws within its jurisdiction.
The eSafety Commissioner emphasized the need to minimize harm caused by harmful content online, despite the challenges of completely eradicating it.
Posts including the video in question became inaccessible to some users after inquiries from Guardian Australia.
Federal opposition leader Peter Dutton supported X and Elon Musk, stating that Australia should not act as the internet police and federal law should not dictate global content removal.
X has yet to comment on the situation.
Source: www.theguardian.com
