FILE - An "X" sign rests atop the company headquarters in downtown San Francisco, on July 28, 2023. Australia’s online safety watchdog said on Wednesday, June 6, 2024, she had dropped her Federal Court case that attempted to force X Corp. to take down a video of a Sydney bishop being stabbed. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)
In Melbourne, Australia, the country's online safety watchdog announced on Wednesday that it had withdrawn its case in the Federal Court aimed at compelling X Corp. to remove a video depicting the stabbing of a Sydney bishop.
However, Julie Inman Grant, the eSafety Commissioner, stated that she would persist with legal action in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal against the platform, which had been rebranded in 2023 following Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter.
Musk expressed his approval of the decision on X, asserting, "Freedom of speech is worth fighting for."
The case before the tribunal, responsible for reviewing administrative decisions, had been initiated by X and was proceeding concurrently with the Federal Court proceedings.
Inman Grant, a former Twitter employee, cited financial considerations as a factor in her decision to "consolidate" her commission's legal efforts against X.
She explained, "The substantive issues that I want examined through an independent merits review will be addressed at the AAT, and it didn't make sense for me to engage in a two-front battle when, frankly, the overall conflict is likely to be much lengthier and more extensive than initially anticipated," in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
In addition, Inman Grant disclosed that her legal actions against X had subjected her and her family to online attacks, including the unauthorized release of personal information, commonly referred to as doxxing. She attributed these attacks to Musk.
"He essentially sent out a signal to 181 million users worldwide, resulting in death threats against me and the doxxing of my family members, including my three children," Inman Grant remarked.
She continued, "With great power comes great responsibility, and exercising restraint when targeting a regulator whose duty is to safeguard the citizens of Australia is completely unacceptable. However, it's not unexpected, considering his litigious history and his tendency to attack and discredit NGOs, academics, and other researchers who dare to criticize X's safety protocols."
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland voiced support for Inman Grant's decision to pursue legal action against X in the Federal Court and her subsequent decision to withdraw the case.
Rowland stated, "The government stands behind our regulators, and we fully support the eSafety Commissioner, especially given the reprehensible threats to her personal safety and the safety of her family in the course of her duties," during a parliamentary session.
While several social media platforms complied with eSafety's directive to remove the video of a 16-year-old stabbing an Assyrian Orthodox bishop in a Sydney church, X opted to only restrict access for Australian users.
The commission sought a global ban on the video through the Australian Federal Court.
Following the withdrawal of the case, X posted on Wednesday, "This case has prompted important discussions regarding the use of legal powers to potentially impose global censorship on speech, and we are pleased to see that freedom of speech has prevailed."
Inman Grant indicated that her commission had filed an additional five legal actions against X, including one concerning the platform's failure to disclose its strategies for combatting child sexual abuse material.
