Australia Fines X for Failing to Address Child Exploitation Content

Australia’s online safety watchdog, the eSafety Commission, has imposed a fine of 610,500 Australian dollars (approximately $385,000) on X, formerly known as Twitter, for its failure to provide a complete explanation of its measures against child sexual exploitation content.

eSafety Commission’s Role:

The eSafety Commission is touted as the world’s first government agency dedicated to ensuring online safety for individuals.

Earlier this year, the eSafety Commission issued legal transparency notices to X and other social media platforms, seeking information on their efforts to combat child sexual exploitation, sexual extortion, and the livestreaming of child sexual abuse.

Lack of Adequate Responses:

X and Google were found to be non-compliant with the transparency notices, as they failed to provide satisfactory answers to several inquiries.

X, the platform now owned by Elon Musk and renamed X, was the most non-compliant. 

It did not respond to certain questions, including the number of personnel within the trust and safety team responsible for preventing harmful and illegal content post-Musk’s takeover.

Possible Challenge and Ongoing Pressure:

X can challenge the fine in the Australian Federal Court. Still, the court could impose a daily fine of up to AU$ 780,000 ($493,402) since March, when the commission first identified the platform’s non-compliance with the transparency notice. 

The eSafety Commission intends to maintain pressure on X through further notices, aiming for increased transparency.

Google Receives a Warning:

Google, another company that issued a transparency notice, received a formal warning for providing generic responses to specific questions regarding child sexual exploitation content. 

Google’s regional director, Lucinda Longcroft, defended the company’s actions, emphasizing its commitment to protecting children online and its substantial investments in technologies for detecting and preventing child sexual abuse material.

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