eSafety commissioner granted legal injunction as X refuses to hide violent content

eSafety commissioner granted legal injunction as X refuses to hide violent content

An RMIT expert is available to speak to the media on safety versus censorship as Elon Musk refuses to remove violent content from X, against the advice of Australia's eSafety commissioner.

Topics: tech innovation, social media, kids' safety online, digital regulations and policies 

Dr Dana McKay, Associate Dean of Interaction, Technology and Information in the School of Computing Technologies

“Australia’s Federal Court has granted the eSafety commissioner a two-day legal injunction to compel X, Elon Musk’s social media platform, to hide posts showing graphic content of the Wakeley church stabbing in Sydney.

“Musk has criticised the eSafety commissioner for what he has described as censorship and ‘global content bans.’

“Not all censorship is bad when it is applied to situations like graphic and illegal content. There are a range of things that we, as a society, agree shouldn’t be posted online.

"Technology has been designed by a very small, non-diverse group of people but is used by everyone. This often has negative consequences for the people who didn't design it.

“These platforms promote content that gets more engagement – be it reactions, views or shares – and this increases the risk that users could see certain types of content without wanting to.

“In the case of violent material, this could have severe negative consequences for people’s mental health, especially if they have experienced serious violence themselves which it is estimated up to 41% of Australians have. 

“From Wednesday at 5pm X has been ordered to hide the posts in contention from all users worldwide, while the matter is considered.

“Should X choose not to comply with the orders of the eSafety commissioner, it could be fined up to $550,000 or have their links removed from search engines.”

Dr Dana McKay is Associate Dean, Interaction, Technology and Information in the School of Computing Technologies at RMIT University. She studies the intersection of people, technology and information, with a focus on ensuring advances in information technology benefit society as a whole.

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Media enquiries: RMIT External Affairs and Media, +61 439 704 077 or news@rmit.edu.au

23 April 2024

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23 April 2024

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