Australian Court Upholds A$650,000 Fine on X for Failing to Comply with Child Safety Rules

(CNA, Sydney, May 21, Comprehensive Foreign Report) An Australian federal court today upheld a fine against billionaire Elon Musk's social media platform X for its failure to comply with child online safety regulations, concluding a three-year legal dispute between the tech company and the Australian government. According to an AFP report, under Australian law, the online regulator, the eSafety Commissioner's Office, has the authority to fine companies that fail to respond to requests or provide detailed information on how they protect children's online safety. In February 2023, eSafety contacted X, then known as Twitter, requesting an explanation on how it was addressing the dissemination of child sexual abuse material on its platform. The following month, Twitter was merged into Musk's newly formed X Corp. The company was fined for providing an "incomplete" response to eSafety's repeated requests for information. The Australian Federal Court ruled in October 2024 that X was obligated to respond to the notice, and today, the social media company was formally ordered to pay a fine of A$650,000 (approximately NT$14.6 million). Federal Judge Michael Wheelahan stated, "A penalty approaching the maximum is appropriate for the respondent, as it is a large corporation, to serve as a genuine deterrent rather than being seen as just a part of operational costs." The Australian government has been at the forefront of global regulation of large tech companies, including implementing a world-first law last year banning children under 16 from using social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Several other countries are reportedly considering similar social media control measures. Responding to the court's decision, Australia's eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said, "Meaningful transparency is key to holding tech companies accountable." She added, "This is not only one of our important jobs as Australia's online safety regulator, but it also provides the Australian public with crucial information about how these companies handle the worst and most severe harmful content on their platforms." (Compiler: Hsu Jui-cheng) 1150521