Australian PM Albanese responds to Musk after 'fascists' remark

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
14 Sep 2024 11:29

Anthony Albanese stresses that social media "has a social responsibility."

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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks during a virtual National Cabinet meeting to discuss the national crisis of gender-based violence, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP)

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded sharply to Elon Musk on Saturday after the tech billionaire labeled his government "fascists" over its proposed legislation that would impose fines on social media platforms for disseminating misinformation.

Earlier this week, Australia introduced a "combating misinformation" bill, which would grant regulators broad powers to fine tech companies up to five percent of their annual revenue if they fail to meet online safety standards.

Musk took to his platform, X, on Thursday to express his discontent, posting the single word: "Fascists."

Fascists https://t.co/NQcR9justJ
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 12, 2024

In response, Albanese defended the government's stance, stressing that social media "has a social responsibility."

"If Mr Musk doesn't understand that, that says more about him than it does about my government," the Australian Prime Minister told reporters Saturday.

The exchange marks the latest chapter in an ongoing dispute between Musk and Australian authorities over social media regulation.

The Australian government is currently evaluating a range of measures aimed at holding social media companies more accountable for the content hosted on their platforms, including a proposed ban on users under 16 years old.

Earlier this year, Australia's online safety regulator took Musk's company to court, accusing it of failing to take down "extremely violent" videos of a Sydney preacher being stabbed. However, the case was unexpectedly dropped after Musk secured a legal victory in a preliminary hearing, a result he hailed as a win for free speech.

Musk has clashed with governments and digital rights organizations worldwide. His company could face further scrutiny within months as the European Union considers potential fines against X.

In Brazil, where X was effectively suspended for disregarding a series of court orders, Musk fired back at the judiciary, calling the judge an "evil dictator cosplaying as a judge."

Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes had ordered the platform's suspension after a protracted standoff with Musk regarding disinformation concerns in the country.

Moraes issued the suspension after Musk failed to comply with a directive to appoint a new legal representative for the company in Brazil. He further warned that anyone attempting to bypass the block using methods such as VPNs would face a fine of 50,000 reais ($8,900).

The conflict between Musk and Moraes initially stemmed from a decision to suspend several X accounts linked to supporters of Brazil's former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro. These individuals had sought to undermine the credibility of the electoral system following Bolsonaro's defeat in the 2022 election.