Australia v. Musk: Court battle set to be test case as e-safety laws reviewed

Elon Musk's platform X is contesting an order to take down stabbing clip globally

20240507 Julie Inman Grant, eSafety commissioner, Elon Musk

X owner Elon Musk, left, and Australia's eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant. The social media platform is challenging an order to remove content deemed harmful by Australian regulators. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP)

SHAUN TURTON, Nikkei staff writer

SYDNEY -- A war of words between Australian leaders and Elon Musk is set to become a test of the power of the country's online regulator as the tech billionaire's social media platform X contests a court order to remove content.

The case, scheduled for a hearing on Friday, pits the self-proclaimed free speech absolutist and world's third-richest person against Australia's eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, head of the agency behind what is considered one of the world's most comprehensive set of regulations designed to protect citizens from online harm.

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