Twitter Faces Possible Fines in Australia: Elon Musk’s Perspective
Australia’s cyber watchdog has called on Twitter, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, to provide an explanation for its handling of online hate. The regulator has given Twitter a 28-day deadline to respond or face potential fines. Elon Musk acquired Twitter last year for $44 billion (A$64 billion; £34.5 billion) and pledged to uphold freedom of speech on the platform.
Julie Inman Grant, the watchdog’s representative, sent a legal notice to Twitter after receiving a significant number of complaints related to online hate, with Twitter being the primary concern despite having fewer users compared to TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. Failure to comply with the regulator’s request within the given timeframe could result in penalties of up to A$700,000 (£371,570; $475,300) per day for ongoing violations.
Ms. Inman Grant expressed her concern over Twitter’s apparent failure in addressing hate speech, highlighting that the reinstatement of previously banned accounts has emboldened extremists and hate peddlers, including neo-Nazis, both within Australia and internationally.
This demand from the regulator is part of an ongoing effort to hold social media companies accountable for their actions. When contacted by the BBC, Twitter did not provide a statement in response to the announcement.
Earlier this month, Ella Irwin, the second head of trust and safety during Elon Musk’s ownership, resigned from Twitter. Her predecessor, Yoel Roth, had left in November 2022, a month after Mr. Musk took control. The head of trust and safety is responsible for content moderation, a topic that has attracted attention since the ownership change.
While the specific reasons for Ms. Irwin’s departure have not been publicly disclosed, her resignation coincided with Elon Musk publicly criticizing a content moderation decision. He deemed Twitter’s decision to limit the visibility of a video due to allegations of misgendering as a “mistake by many people at Twitter.” Mr. Musk argued that using someone’s preferred pronouns should not be a legal matter but rather a matter of politeness.
Shortly after, Linda Yaccarino, the former head of advertising at NBCUniversal, assumed the role of Twitter’s CEO, succeeding Elon Musk. Ms. Irwin’s resignation came a week after Twitter withdrew from the European Union’s voluntary code to combat disinformation.
Since Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, the company has undergone significant changes, including a reduction of approximately 75% of its workforce, including teams responsible for addressing abuse, as well as alterations to the verification process. The platform has also experienced a substantial exodus of advertisers.
In her previous position, Ms. Yaccarino played a crucial role in guiding NBCUniversal through the challenges posed by technology companies, revamping advertising sales, and spearheading discussions within the industry regarding data gaps as audiences transition to online platforms.
