Elon Musk-Owned X Fined By Australia Over Child Sex Abuse Content

In a significant development, X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter and owned by Elon Musk, has been fined $610,500 Australian dollars by Australia for its inadequate response in disclosing information about how it addresses child sex abuse content.

This fine adds to the challenges X is facing globally, including a recent investigation by the European Commission into disinformation and illegal content related to the Israel-Hamas war.

Australia's e-Safety Commission, the online safety regulator, on Monday issued a fine against X, asserting that the platform failed to provide satisfactory responses to questions about its approach to combating child abuse materials.

The commission accused X of leaving some questions unanswered, providing incomplete or inaccurate responses, and not fully addressing the issue of child sexual exploitation.

“Twitter/X has stated publicly that tackling child sexual exploitation is the number 1 priority for the company, but it can’t just be empty talk, we need to see words backed up with tangible action,” eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said in the statement.

The commission's statement highlighted the need for tangible actions to support public declarations of prioritizing child safety.

X has 28 days to respond or pay the fine, with important questions remaining unanswered.