Queensland Tribunal Orders Elon Musk's X to Comply with Anti-Discrimination Laws
A Queensland tribunal ruled that Elon Musk's X must comply with local anti-discrimination laws, citing concerns with 'hate speech.'
An Australian tribunal has instructed Elon Musk's social media company, known as X (formerly Twitter), to abide by the state of Queensland's anti-discrimination laws. The ruling was driven by a complaint from the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network (AMAN), which argued that X is responsible for posts on its platform that vilify Muslims.
Senior member Ann Fitzpatrick of The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) rejected the argument presented by X that it was not a resident of Queensland and that the conduct in question did not take place there. In her ruling, Fitzpatrick stated, "X Corp is present in Queensland because it provides a service in Queensland and in my view carries on business in Queensland. Second, the impugned conduct took place in Queensland whether one terms the impugned conduct an 'effect' or actual conduct."
AMAN's complaint highlighted 29 tweets that it claims "denigrates, dehumanises, and demonises Muslims, portraying them as an existential threat." The tweets in question were linked to a blog post that was shared on X's platform. A spokesperson for AMAN celebrated the tribunal's ruling as "precedent-setting" and emphasized that social media companies must comply with Australian laws that regulate "hate speech." The Queensland human rights commissioner had previously asserted that the complaint constituted religious vilification, prompting the referral to QCAT.
The tribunal has yet to decide on how the case will proceed, but its implications extend beyond this individual case. This is not Musk's first legal encounter in Australia. In April, the Federal court demanded the removal of footage depicting an alleged terror attack from 65 websites, including X. Musk initially defied the order by maintaining the content's visibility, although the court later declined to extend a temporary injunction.
X, which has been solicited for remarks on the tribunal's decision, retains the option to appeal.
