(UnitedVoice.com) – When Elon Musk purchased Twitter, now X, he promised it would be a free-speech platform. While that was welcome news for Americans, especially Conservatives, who believed the social media site censored opposing views, not every country has the same respect for free speech that America does (or should). That has led to multiple fights between Musk and the leaders of other countries. Now, he’s feuding with the land down under.
The Stabbing Video
On April 15, a 16-year-old boy reportedly stabbed a bishop at the Christ The Good Shepherd Church outside of Sydney, Australia. The attack was captured on video because the bishop was livestreaming the service.
The video of the stabbing spread across X like wildfire. Australian authorities asked that it be removed. They argued the video threw fuel on a riot that raged outside of the Christian Orthodox church after the crime. They also argued the video could be used to radicalize others who wanted to carry out similarly hateful acts.
Australia’s e-safety commissioner ordered the social media companies operating in the country to remove the content from their platforms. However, the commissioner stated Musk’s platform didn’t go far enough by hiding it from Australian viewers. The country wants it completely removed from the website because it argued Australians could find it by using virtual private networks (VPNs).
Musk Responds
The billionaire responded to the demand in a post on X, expressing concern about a nation censoring “content for ALL countries,” which is what the commissioner demanded. Musk asked if he allowed that, what would “stop any country from controlling the entire internet.” He pointed out that his company already censored the content for Australia and said, “It is stored only on servers in the USA.”
Our concern is that if ANY country is allowed to censor content for ALL countries, which is what the Australian “eSafety Commissar” is demanding, then what is to stop any country from controlling the entire Internet?
We have already censored the content in question for… https://t.co/aca9E4uAB7
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 22, 2024
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded to Musk on April 23, calling him an “arrogant billionaire who thinks he’s above the law, but also above common decency.”
Senator Jacqui Lambie, known as a straight talker in Australia, deleted her X account in response to Musk’s refusal to remove the video completely. She then posted a message on Facebook saying the commissioner asked the billionaire to remove more than 60 tweets that contained the stabbing video. She said Musk should “put his big boy pants on and do the right thing.” Then she said he wouldn’t do that because she doesn’t believe he has a conscience.
Musk hasn’t responded to the recent remarks by Australian officials.
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