PARIS — X-CEO Linda Yaccarino took a stinging hit out at Australia on Friday after a clash with online safety regulators.
Elon Musk’s own social media platform X won a Postponement in Australia when a court refused to increase an injunction blocking videos of a stabbing in a Sydney church.
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was stabbed to death during a live-streamed sermon that was widely shared online and reached lots of of 1000’s of views. After the incident Australia's eSafety Commissionerthe country's online regulator, obtained an injunction requiring X to cover posts showing footage of the attack.
Speaking on stage on the VivaTech conference in Paris, Yaccarino accused Australia of going too far within the dispute.
“If X is acting in accordance with the law, we will not shy away from taking action even if we feel that there is a clear violation of the law and that the citizens of the region are at risk or their access to information is being compromised,” she said.
“Given recent events in Australia, X had to stand up and protect people to ensure they continue to have access to this information so they can form their own opinions,” she added.
On May 13, a federal judge denied the eSafety Commissioner's request to increase a brief restraining order removing posts on X depicting the violent assault on a priest in April.
“The good news is that the people have won,” Yaccarino, the previous global promoting chief for CNBC parent company NBCUniversal, said onstage. “We're happy to be that beacon and that place of truth.”
The incident sparked a conflict between Musk and the Australian government. Musk criticized the move as an attack on free speech.
Australia's eSafety regulator was not immediately available when CNBC reached out for comment on Friday.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a Interview on April 23 that Musk believed “he was above Australian law” and called him out on his “arrogance.”
He said it was “not about censorship” but about “decency” and that Musk should “show some decency.”
In response, Musk posted on X: “I do not believe I am above the law. Does the Prime Minister believe he should have jurisdiction over the entire Earth?”
eSafety has previously stated that it believes online safety “requires platforms to do everything practical and reasonable to minimise the harm they can cause to Australians.”
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