The attack on bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel in April, which was livestreamed online and resulted in disturbances outside the Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, was labeled a terror incident by the authorities.
Fearing that the recordings of the stabbing may provoke more violence, Australia’s independent regulator, the eSafety Commissioner, threatened X and other social media sites with steep fines if they did not remove them.
The case was viewed as a test of Australia’s capacity to hold the social media behemoths accountable for violating its internet safety laws.
The Federal Court temporarily ordered X to conceal the films, but X refused, arguing the order was unconstitutional.
X, the former Twitter, finally blocked access to the video in Australia, but users could easily get around this by using a VPN.
When Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant asked for the video to be removed globally, Mr. Musk referred to her as a “censorship commissar.” Commissioner Inman-Grant began her career with Twitter.
Musk was referred to as an “arrogant billionaire” by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in response.
Ms. Inman-Grant stated in a statement on Wednesday that the case was likely to be dropped in order to “achieve the most positive outcome for the online safety of all Australians, especially children,” due to “multiple considerations.”
