Australia’s Melbourne (AP) Elon Musk, the owner of X Corp., said that the government planned to restrict internet access for all Australians by passing laws that would prohibit young children from using social media. However, a cabinet official in Australia denied this claim on Friday.
After the government presented legislation to Parliament on Thursday that will fine platforms like X up to 150 million Australian dollars ($133 million) if companies permit children under the age of 16 to have social media accounts, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said Musk’s criticism was not surprise.
Chalmers told reporters, “We are not particularly surprised or troubled by the idea that Elon Musk is not delighted with our steps to try and protect kids online.”
The dispute carries on months of open animosity between the tech tycoon and the Australian government regarding regulators’ attempts to lessen the harm that social media causes to the general public.
Legislation requiring X, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, and Instagram to prohibit young children from using their platforms might be passed by parliament as early as next week.
On Monday, members of Parliament will debate the legislation that was tabled on Thursday.
It appears to be a backdoor method to restrict all Australians’ access to the Internet, Musk wrote in response to the legislation’s announcement on his platform.
Chalmers responded, “Of course not,” when asked if that was the government’s objective.
We are not at all surprised that Elon Musk holds that opinion regarding safeguarding children online. Chalmers stated that he had previously voiced similar opinions.
Creating a social media policy to appease Elon Musk is not our responsibility. It is our responsibility to ensure that children get the protection they need when using the internet, Chalmers continued.
After an Australian judge temporarily ordered X to prevent viewers globally from viewing a video of a bishop being stabbed at a Sydney church in April, Musk accused Australia of censorship.
In response, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called Musk a haughty millionaire who was out of touch with the masses and thought he was above the law.
According to Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, the online safety watchdog who filed the lawsuit against X, the legal struggle resulted in online attacks against her and her family, including doxxing, which is the practice of sharing personal information online without consent.
She claimed that when Musk sent a dog whistle to 181 million users worldwide, she started getting death threats.
The Associated Press, 2024. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. It is prohibited to publish, broadcast, rewrite, or redistribute this content without authorization.
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