Elon Musk’s X ordered to pay $418,000 fine in Australia for failing to provide child protection data

An Australian court has upheld a decision requiring X, formerly known as Twitter, to pay a fine of A$610,500 ($418,000) after failing to comply with a request from the country’s eSafety Commissioner.

The request sought detailed information about the platform’s efforts to address child sexual exploitation material.

X initially disputed the fine, with the argument that a corporate restructuring in 2022, when Elon Musk took a private life and merger in a new entity, freed the company from the obligation to comply with the request from the beginning of 2023. The Federal Court of Australia has however, it disagreed and ruled that the platform was still obligated to provide the information.

Julie Inman Grant, the eSafety Commissioner, noted that if this were accepted it could have set a dangerous precedent. She argued that such corporate mergers could allow international companies to avoid legal obligations in Australia, undermining internet security efforts.

The sentence relates to an ongoing investigation into the way technology companies, including X, deal with harmful content, particularly in the area of ​​child protection. The eSafety Commissioner had requested specific details about the platform’s anti-child abuse strategies, but X did not provide these. In addition to the fine, civil proceedings have also been initiated against the company for non-compliance.

Musk’s X has previously faced clashes with Australia’s internet safety regulator. Earlier this year, the eSafety office ordered the platform to remove content showing a violent incident in which a bishop was attacked during a sermon.

X challenged that directive, arguing that regulators in one country should not dictate what content is visible worldwide. The Australian regulator eventually dropped the case and X kept the messages online. Musk criticized the order, labeling it an act of censorship and linking it to a larger agenda of international bodies such as the World Economic Forum.

This latest legal setback adds to Musk’s growing list of challenges in managing the platform since his acquisition, especially as it continues to face questions from regulators around the world.