Lead
Australia's eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, has told the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion that Elon Musk's X Corp argued footage of the Bondi massacre was "not any worse … than a gore movie." The testimony came during the commission's fourth round of hearings, which are examining the role of social media in spreading hate and violent content.
Coverage comparison
Both ABC Australia and The Guardian reported Inman Grant's testimony, with consistent details about the X Corp argument and her response. The Guardian's report took a more critical tone, focusing on platforms "fighting to distribute and monetise 'gore' and 'fringe' content," while ABC's coverage centered on the commissioner's broader testimony about her office's power to negotiate with social media companies.
Key claims
According to Inman Grant, X Corp was fighting her office on three take-down orders of violent content, including the killing of Charlie Kirk and the stabbing of Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte train. The Guardian reported that of eight cases the regulator is now fighting with X, six have been instigated by X.
Inman Grant said her office "fought hard" to get footage of the Bondi attack refused classification, making it illegal to distribute in Australia. But X told her that the content was "not any worse than you would see in a gore movie." She responded, "I can't think of anything more horrific for the family members and the Australian Jewish community."
The commissioner noted that the willingness of mainstream tech platforms to work collaboratively with her office, even in mass casualty situations, has changed. "Now we're at a place where the companies won't just take our word for it when we say this is [violent] content," she said.
She also said that in early 2025, Meta announced it would roll back its online hate and fact-checking policies, which she took as a sign that "our jobs are going to get a lot more difficult." She described what she called the "quiet firing of trust and safety personnel and content moderators" across the tech sector, and noted that Meta's policy appeared to have changed from "five strikes and you're out" to "19 strikes."
According to the commissioner, social media companies are spending more to challenge regulation while spending less on trust and safety teams, and they feel protected by the anti-regulation Trump administration. She described the environment as a "very risk environment" that permeates every element of online content.
The eSafety commissioner's mandate does not explicitly cover antisemitism and hate speech, which is part of the context for the commission's focus. The Jewish Council of Australia was established in the wake of the Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Perspectives
X Corp
X Corp argued that the Bondi attack footage was no worse than what one would see in a gore movie, implying the content did not warrant removal. The company has initiated a number of legal challenges against the eSafety commissioner's take-down orders.
eSafety Commissioner
Julie Inman Grant emphasized that her office has to fight hard to restrict or remove violent content, including the Bondi attack footage. She described the challenge as "horrific" for the affected communities and called out the broader trend of platforms cutting trust and safety investments.
Meta
Meta has announced changes to its online hate and fact-checking policies, which the eSafety commissioner saw as a signal of increased difficulty for regulation. The company has not publicly commented on the specific allegations made by the commissioner.