Elon Musk’s X Corp in fresh fight with Australia’s eSafety Commissioner over six-figure fine

Australia’s eSafety commissioner will take Elon Musk’s X Corp to court later this year after fining the social media giant a six-figure fine, a court has heard.

eSafety announced in December last year that it had commenced civil proceedings in the Federal Court against X Corp in relation to its response to a ‘transparency notice’.

In a statement, eSafety said the company was required to explain in the notice how it “met basic online safety expectations regarding child sexual exploitation and abuse material.”

eSafety has alleged that

X Corp is separately seeking judicial review of the infringement notice and has initiated proceedings in parallel to the case brought by the eSafety Commissioner.

In a brief filed with the Federal Court, eSafety says it sent the notice to Twitter in February 2023, before the social media company merged with Musk’s X Corp – which is incorporated in Nevada in the United States – in March last year.

The case concerns the company’s March 2023 response, which allegedly came from Twitter Inc, which did not exist at the time.

eSafety argues in its summary statement that although the notice was initially given to Twitter Inc. was addressed, X Corp was able to respond to the notice.

X Corp is defending the case, calling two legal experts in court on Friday when the case goes to trial later this year.

Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant Inman Grant announced on Wednesday that it has dropped its battle with the social media company over its refusal to remove videos of a stabbing death of a Sydney bishop.

The court ruled that the case hinges on how foreign legal obligations are treated under Nevada law.

The case will return to court later this year

Earlier this week,

The eSafety Commission tried to force X to remove videos showing footage of an alleged terror attack in which Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was stabbed during a live-streamed sermon.

X Corp initially agreed to ‘geoblock’ the content, restricting local access, but claimed the Australian government did not have the authority to enforce a global ban.

Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant Inman Grant announced on Wednesday that this procedure would be halted.