Australian Court Fines IDR 6.5 Billion For Platform X In Child Anti-exploitation Case

Australian eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant (photo: x @LGNSW)

JAKARTA - Australia's Federal Court on Friday 4 October confirmed orders for social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, to pay a fine of 610,500 Australian dollars (Rp 6.5 billion). This is because X failed to comply with requests for information from regulators regarding preventive measures against child sexual exploitation on the platform. This case adds to the long list of conflicts between platform X and Australian internet security regulators.

The case began when Australian eSafety Commissioner, who is in charge of internet security, sent a notification to X to provide information about the company's efforts to deal with child sexual exploitation material on their platform. However, X declined to provide the requested information and chose to challenge the fine in court.

X, formerly known as Twitter before being acquired and renamed by Elon Musk in 2022, argued that they were not obliged to respond to the notification sent in early 2023. The reason raised was that X had been merged into a new corporate entity managed by Musk, thus eliminating responsibility for the request.

However, Australia's Federal Court does not accept the argument. The court ruled that X remains responsible for complying with legal obligations in Australia, regardless of the corporate restructuring carried out by Musk.

In a statement following the court's decision, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the decision was important to prevent foreign companies from evading legal obligations in Australia through mergers or acquisitions.

"If X's argument is accepted by the court, it can create a dangerous precedent that foreign companies can circumvent regulatory obligations in Australia by simply joining or being acquired by other entities," Inman Grant said in a statement.

In addition to the court's decision to impose a fine of $418,000, the Commissioner of eSafety has also initiated a civil legal process against X over the company's non-compliance with the internet security law in Australia. X, who did not provide a immediate response after the court's decision, faces further challenges in an effort to improve their relationship with local regulators.

Previous Conflict With Australian Regulators

This is not the first time Musk and platform X have been in conflict with Australian internet regulators. Earlier this year, Commissioner eSafety ordered X to delete posts showing the stabbing incident of a bishop in Australia during a sermon. However, X opposed the order on the grounds that decisions made by one country should not apply to internet users around the world.

The company finally maintained the post after the case was withdrawn by the eSafety Commissioner. Elon Musk himself called the removal order an act of censorship and posted on his platform that the effort was part of the World Economic Forum Plan for the World Economic Forum to implement global internet security rules.

This court decision could have a broad impact on international technology companies operating in Australia. Legal action taken by regulators shows that Australia does not hesitate to crack down on companies that fail to comply with local regulations, particularly in terms of child security and protection in cyberspace.

With continued legal disputes between X and Australian regulators, the future of the platform in Australia may face more challenges. The international community is now watching closely how this case will affect global technology company regulations in other countries that are also struggling to deal with child sexual exploitation issues on the internet.