Australian Court Upheld X Corp's Appeal in Child Safety Case

• The court confirmed X Corp's obligation to comply with Australian regulations.
• The company is required to cover the costs of the child safety commissioner.
• The law prohibits children under 16 from using social networks.

Melbourne, Australia — The Australian appellate court on Thursday upheld a ruling in favor of X Corp., dismissing a challenge to the demands of the regulatory body regarding child safety. The judges unanimously rejected the company's appeal, which is owned by Elon Musk, regarding the obligation to provide information on how it deals with harmful materials that exploit children on its platform.

The court also ordered X to cover the costs of the child safety commissioner Julie Inman Grant. Her office is the first of its kind in the world, focusing on child safety in the online space.

Inman Grant initiated legislation that prohibits Australian children under 16 from using social networks, including X, from June of this year.

The case began in early 2023 when Inman Grant asked some of the largest tech companies in the world about their actions regarding the handling of materials that exploit children.

A report on the matter, issued in accordance with the Online Safety Act of Australia, was sent to Twitter Inc, registered in Delaware, in the summer of that year, and a month later Twitter merged with X.

X stated that it has no obligation to respond to Inman Grant's inquiry, as Twitter no longer exists as a legal entity.

Inman Grant, a former Twitter employee, welcomed the court's decision, stating that it confirms the obligation to comply with Australian standards, regardless of the company's ownership.

She also emphasized that her agency will continue to monitor the implementation of the Online Safety Act and demand transparency from all tech companies.

X's advocate, Justin Quill, noted that it is still unclear whether the court's ruling can be appealed to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court only hears about 10% of appeals, so a ruling from the federal court could be decisive for X.

In 2023, Inman Grant's office imposed a fine of 610,500 Australian dollars (about 385,000 USD) on X for failing to provide complete information regarding the handling of content that exploits children.

Tags: Politics/Technology