Elon Musk’s X Fined $610,500 for Child-Abuse Probe Non-Compliance

Web Desk

15th Oct, 2023. 09:29 pm
Share
- Listen
- Font size
  - Small
  - Medium
  - Large
- Dark Mode
- Save
- Print

Articles

X fined $386,000 by Australian e-Safety for noncooperation in child abuse probe.
Declining revenue and content moderation criticism hampers X (formerly Twitter).
EU investigates X for tech rule violations, further straining its reputation.

Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, formerly known as Twitter, has been hit with a substantial fine of A$610,500 (approximately $386,000) by the Australian e-Safety Commission.

The penalty was imposed due to X’s failure to cooperate with an investigation into its anti-child abuse practices, raising concerns about the platform’s commitment to tackling illegal content. The fine comes at a challenging time for X, which has been grappling with diminishing revenue and mounting criticism over its content moderation policies.

The Australian e-Safety Commission took this action against X after the platform refused to provide satisfactory responses to inquiries regarding its handling of reports related to child abuse material and the methods employed to detect such content. This lack of cooperation has significant implications for the platform’s reputation, which has already been under scrutiny for its content policies.

While the fine itself may seem relatively small in comparison to the $44 billion Elon Musk paid for the platform in October 2022, it serves as a substantial blow to X’s credibility. Advertisers have been reevaluating their investments in the platform as X curtailed its content moderation and reinstated numerous previously banned accounts.

The troubles for X extend beyond Australia. The European Union has recently initiated an investigation into X for potential violations of tech regulations, particularly concerning disinformation related to the conflict between Hamas and Israel.

The Australian e-Safety Commission possesses the authority to compel internet companies to provide information about their online safety practices, and noncompliance can result in fines. If X refuses to pay the fine, the regulator can take legal action to enforce it.

Despite Elon Musk’s public declaration that “removing child exploitation is priority #1” after privatizing the platform, the e-Safety Commission found inconsistencies in X’s responses. For instance, the platform asserted that it was “not a service used by large numbers of young people” when questioned about its efforts to prevent child grooming. X also claimed that the available anti-grooming technology was not sufficiently capable or accurate for deployment on the platform.

In addition to the fine, the e-Safety Commission issued a warning to Alphabet’s Google for noncompliance with its request for information regarding the handling of child abuse content, deeming some of Google’s responses as “generic.” Google expressed its disappointment with the warning and reaffirmed its commitment to collaborating on online safety.

However, X’s noncompliance with the regulator’s requests was viewed as more serious. The platform failed to provide satisfactory answers to questions about its response time to child abuse reports, its efforts to detect abuse in live streams, and its staffing numbers for content moderation, safety, and public policy. X confirmed that it had cut 80% of its global workforce and had no public policy staff in Australia following Musk’s takeover. The platform also revealed that it did not use tools to detect child abuse material in private messages due to the technology still being in development.

As X continues to grapple with these challenges, its ability to regain the trust of users, advertisers, and regulators remains uncertain. The platform’s future will likely be closely monitored in the evolving landscape of social media and online safety.

Elon Musk’s X Fined $610,500 for Child-Abuse Probe Non-Compliance

Web Desk

Articles