Australian PM Slams Elon Musk as 'Arrogant' Over Video Issue

Elon MuskPhoto byDaniel Oberhaus / Flickr

Billionaire Elon Musk is known for being avocal opponent of censorshipin any form.He has gone so far as to refer to himself as a “free-speech absolutist”on X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, which he now owns).

Musk is also known for becoming embroiled in controversies.The latest news stories blaring his name are focusing onMusk’s and X’s refusal to remove videos of a recent and violent attack in an Australian church.

The video that Australian authorities asked Musk and X to remove

On April 15, a 16-year-old boy was taken into custody after allegedly stabbing a bishop and a priest during a religious service that was being live-streamed at a Sydney church.

Videos of the attack were available on several social media platforms during the aftermath of the crime, althoughAustralian authorities were successful in their requests to have the footage removed from other platforms.

AlthoughMusk and X eventually partially complied with the request — by agreeing to “hide” the video from Australian viewers — authorities in that country say that is not sufficient and the video should be removed.

Australia’s eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, has charged that the stabbing video violates Australian law in that it shows “Class I” materials.Class I materials are defined as those that “depict gratuitous or offensive violence with a high degree of impact or detail.”

In addition to the violent nature of the stabbing at the church, Australian officials have contended that viewings of the video have contributed to riots happening around the church in the aftermath of the incident.

From a fight over images to a war of words

InitiallyX reported that it had complied with the Australian government’s request to remove the content.Soon, however, it became apparent that the video was only blocked from view in Australia and was available to view outside of that country.

Now the government has started a court case and issued an injunction to force X to stop making the video available.

X Corp. as a company is reacting slowly (or not at all, at least legally speaking), but Elon Musk has come out swinging, referring to the eSafety commissioner as the “eSafety Commissar” and charging thatif he allows Australia to dictate content that is available globally, “what is to stop any country from controlling the entire Internet?”

“Commissar,” if you are not familiar with the term, was used to refer to government department heads in the Communist Soviet Union,and can also be defined as a person “that attempts to control public opinion or its expression.”

Then Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, got in on the action by calling Musk an “arrogant billionaire who thinks he’s above the law.” Another Australian politician, Senator Jacqui Lambie,further suggested that Musk “put on his big boy pants and do the right thing” and remove the content.

Does Musk always defend free speech, or just when it is convenient?

Elon Musk’s use of his X Corp. and the service formerly known as Twitter to crusade for what he views as free speech is nothing new.Shortly after taking over Twitterin 2022, Musk announced that he would reinstate Donald Trump’s account.

In October 2023, he made headlines for a similar feud with authorities in Brazil over the posting of content on X from “right-wing militias” there.

Those are just a few examples among many.

Musk claims that his dedication to free speech is absolute, and that he is “against censorship that goes far beyond the law.”

However, Musk has also shown himself to have a somewhat more flexible attitude toward censorship than might be widely known.

In December of 2022, he “banned the accounts of several high-profile journalists,” including employees of CNN,The New York Times,and others.

X Corp. insiders have also told journalists that when Musk first took over Twitter, his initial plan was to stop all content moderation — until it became clear that might not be workable,particularly if the company wanted to retain any advertisers.

Musk is also well known for stopping information at its source.He is also the owner of the Tesla car company, and made headlines in 2020 for dissolving that company’s entire PR department.

Twitter (now X) also has no press department.This has made it extremely difficult for journalists or anyone to write about Musk’s companies.Many articles reporting on Musk’s business activities or censorship battles include lines like “Twitter did not respond to questions.”

Freedom of speech is important, but is Musk its best spokesperson?

There is no doubt thatfreedom of speech is an important civil right.

However, many of Musk’s battles against censorship seem to descend into name-calling and court battles resulting in fines that his corporations may or may not pay.

Is he truly against censorship, or doeshe mainly want to stir things up just for the sake of controversy?