Musk says X is the only one who defends Australians’ rights

The owner of X (former Twitter), Elon Musk, said this Tuesday (April 23, 2024) that his social network is the “the only one who defends” the rights of Australians. He made the statement when commenting on a post showing that the platform is the most downloaded news application in the country.

“The Australian people want the truth. X is the only one who defends his rights“, these. The speech was given after the decision of the Australian justice system on Monday (April 22) to suspend videos on the platform that show an attack on a bishop in the country. The episode took place at Christ the Good Shepherd Orthodox Church on April 15. The decision was criticized by the businessman.

eSafety (Australian Electronic Security Commission, in Portuguese) also requested the worldwide blocking of content. The country was the first to create an agency to protect citizens on the internet.

On Monday (April 22), Musk said he does not consider himself “above the law”. The statement was made in response to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who called the businessman a “arrogant billionaire who thinks he is above the law” after he criticized the court’s determination.

On Saturday (Apr 20), X’s Global Government Affairs office defined the commission’s request as “illegal approach”. Representatives of the social network also stated that they intend to challenge the Australian government in court.

After the suspension, Musk said: “It is absurd for any country to try to censor the entire world.” The owner of X stated that the Australian government practices “censorship” and defined the social network as a space for “true” e “freedom of expression”.

If the platform chooses not to ban the content worldwide, the Electronic Security Commission can fine X up to US$785,000 per day.