• Biblical Families is not a dating website. It is a forum to discuss issues relating to marriage and the Bible, and to offer guidance and support, not to find a wife. Click here for more information.

Australian PM calls Elon Musk an 'arrogant billionaire' in row over attack footage

Does Australia have the right to censor web content for the whole world?

  • Yes

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No

    Votes: 6 100.0%
  • Null/Undecided

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    6

MeganC

Seasoned Member
Real Person*
Female
From the BBC:


Australia's leader has called Elon Musk an "arrogant billionaire" in an escalating feud over X's reluctance to remove footage of a church stabbing.

On Monday, an Australian court ordered Mr Musk's social media firm - formerly called Twitter - to hide videos of last week's attack in Sydney.

X previously said it would comply "pending a legal challenge".

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's criticism followed Mr Musk using a meme to accuse his government of censorship.

On Tuesday, Mr Albanese told ABC News that Mr Musk "thinks he's above the law but also above common decency".

Last week Australia's eSafety Commissioner, an independent regulator, threatened X and other social media companies with hefty fines if they did not remove videos of the stabbing at the Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd church, which police have called a terror attack.

X agreed to geo-block the videos in Australia but has argued against restricting access for its global users.

"I find it extraordinary that X chose not to comply and are trying to argue their case," Mr Albanese told a press briefing.

In a subsequent series of online posts, Mr Musk wrote: "I'd like to take a moment to thank the PM for informing the public that this platform is the only truthful one." Another depicted a Wizard of Oz-style path to "freedom" leading to an X logo.

Earlier, he also criticised eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant personally, describing her as the "Australian censorship commissar".

Mr Albanese defended Ms Inman Grant, saying she was protecting Australians.

"Social media needs to have social responsibility with it. Mr Musk is not showing any," he said.

The platform will have 24 hours to comply with Monday evening's injunction, with a further hearing into the matter expected in the coming days.

X and the eSafety Commissioner are already involved in legal proceedings over the platform's alleged failure to provide information over how it tracks and removes child abuse material online.
 
A Muslim terrorist stabbed a Christian cleric in Australia and the attack was caught on video. The video was then posted on X (Twitter) and Australia wants it removed from view globally. Australia presumes to dictate what people all over the world are allowed to see.

I rather think Australia and their PM can go stuff their woke censorship before anyone in any other country should be forced to take orders from them.
 
A Muslim terrorist stabbed a Christian cleric in Australia and the attack was caught on video. The video was then posted on X (Twitter) and Australia wants it removed from view globally. Australia presumes to dictate what people all over the world are allowed to see.

I rather think Australia and their PM can go stuff their woke censorship before anyone in any other country should be forced to take orders from them.
You’re not wrong.
 
That's what New Zealand did with the mosque shooting here. It's illegal for me to view or store either footage of the event or the shooter's manifesto. It is only the fact that it remains legal outside NZ which leaves the possibility for such evil events to be studied and learned from. It is wrong enough for Australia to block this footage inside Aussie. Their arrogance in attempting to censor the world is insane, because if applied universally it would mean that Australians would not be allowed to talk about bad things happening in Afghanistan that the Taliban didn't approve of and wanted censored globally. The arrogance and idiocy of politicians knows no bounds.
 
Well he's not wrong about Musk being an arrogant billionaire. He wants to lead Mankind to Mars yet my little brother's fifth grade science fair display would go over his head.

But even so, I don't see why the Australian PM thinks X is under some kind of obligation to take down the footage. He complied with Australia's laws on Australian servers, but what authority does the Australian PM have anywhere else? American laws don't extend beyond America's borders. Chinese law stops at China's borders. EU law stops at the EU's outermost border.
I don't see what legal standing the PM has here.
 
Back
Top