Setback for Musk’s X: Australian Court Upholds $418,000 Fine Over Child-Abuse Probe

Setback for Musk's X: Australian Court Upholds $418,000 Fine Over Child-Abuse Probe/Reuters

Dil Bar Irshad | October 4, 2024 | 11:04 AM IST | Breaking News, Technology, World | Follow on Google News

Setback for Musk’s X: Australian Court Upholds $418,000 Fine Over Child-Abuse Probe

Setback for Musk’s X: Australian Court Upholds $418,000 Fine Over Child-Abuse Probe

An Australian court on Friday upheld an order for Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) to pay a $418,000 fine for failing to cooperate with a regulator’s request in an anti-child abuse probe.

After the fine was imposed, X challenged the ruling, but the Federal Court of Australia stated, “X was obliged to submit a response to the notice given by the eSafety Commissioner regarding the information sought on child sexual exploitation material present on the platform.”

Elon Musk’s company, X, argued in court that it was not bound to respond to the notice in early 2023, as it had been folded into a new Musk-controlled corporate entity, thereby removing liability.

Following the verdict, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant stated, “If X Corp’s argument had been accepted, it would have set a precedent allowing companies to avoid regulatory obligations in Australia through mergers with foreign entities.”

Additionally, eSafety has initiated civil proceedings against X for its noncompliance.

This instance is not the first conflict between Musk and Australia’s internet safety regulator. Earlier this year, the eSafety Commissioner ordered X to remove posts showing a bishop being stabbed during a sermon.

Dil Bar Irshad

Dil Bar Irshad is a seasoned journalist, hails from Jammu Kashmir's Doda, covers political, social, business stories, index stories.