Elon Musk's X accused Australia of trying to give its internet regulator unfair information-gathering powers and undermining U.S. law with plans for tougher enforcement of a teen social media ban.
Australia’s world-first law barring social media accounts for users under 16 took effect last December, drawing criticism from social media companies, most of them based in the United States.
The dispute involving X, whose parent company is Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has added a geopolitical dimension to the debate.
X told an Australian Senate committee that the proposed changes did not give "due regard to procedural fairness, privacy, the broader impacts on online services, and Australia's digital economy."
In its submission published on Tuesday, the platform criticised plans to expand the eSafety Commissioner’s document discovery powers and double the maximum fine to A$99 million ($69 million).
A U.S. congressional committee has already asked Australia’s eSafety Commissioner to testify, accusing the regulator of threatening American free speech.
Musk previously called the Australian social media ban a "backdoor way to control access to the internet by all Australians" in a post on X.
Data published by eSafety and studies conducted since the ban came into force indicate that many Australian teenagers under 16 continue to have social media accounts.
The regulator said it is preparing potential enforcement action against five platforms but is being hindered by limited powers. It argued that its inability to compel documents from platforms and third-party age assurance providers creates significant barriers to investigations.
Industry group DIGI, which represents several platforms, said eSafety already had broad enforcement powers that had not been fully tested and called for greater clarity over document requests.
Google’s YouTube and TikTok said in separate submissions that there was no known foolproof method to identify and block underage users.
Australia’s parliament has not yet passed the bill expanding enforcement powers. The Senate committee is expected to deliver its findings on 25 August after holding hearings.
Four people were killed, including a child, in Ukrainian strikes on the Russian port city of Novorossiysk overn...
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Wednesday they attacked two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, calling the st...
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 8th of September, covering the latest developments....
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly launched two ballistic missile attacks against a U.S. Navy warship over the past two days.
A TV channel was struck during a live broadcast on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least three people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Meanwhile, drones hit civilian infrastructure in Russia's southwestern Saratov region.
U.S. special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Sunday on efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Indonesia has reopened Jakarta's main airport and four others after volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau forced widespread flight cancellations, though fresh eruptions have kept authorities on alert.
Four people were killed, including a child, in Ukrainian strikes on the Russian port city of Novorossiysk overnight, Veniamin Kondratyev, Governor of the Krasnodar region, said. Russian military ships were destroyed in the attacks, Ukraine's drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, said.
Four people were killed, including a child, in Ukrainian strikes on the Russian port city of Novorossiysk overnight, Veniamin Kondratyev, Governor of the Krasnodar region, said. Russian military ships were destroyed in the attacks, Ukraine's drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, said.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 8th of September, covering the latest developments.
The United States has announced a ban on a range of Canadian products, including alcoholic beverages, dairy goods and motorcycles, as retaliatory Canadian tariffs on U.S. imports take effect.
Wildfires have broken out in Türkiye’s Antalya province, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate as strong winds fuelled the flames.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Wednesday they attacked two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, calling the strikes a response to a U.S. attack on five Iranian tankers.
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