Australia’s internet watchdog has dropped a court case against Elon Musk’s social media platform ‘X’, eSafety commissioner Julie Inman-Grant said on Wednesday.

Australia wanted to force ‘X’ to remove footage of a Sydney church stabbing from the platform.

‘X’ blocked the posts in Australia pending a legal challenge, before the Federal Court ordered the platform to temporarily hide the video for users globally.

Ms Inman-Grant said in a statement a Federal Court case had now been abandoned.

She said, “Our sole goal and focus in issuing our removal notice was to prevent this extremely violent footage from going viral, potentially inciting further violence and inflicting more harm on the Australian community. I stand by my investigators and the decisions eSafety made. Most Australians accept this kind of graphic material should not be on broadcast television, which begs an obvious question. The question of why it should be allowed to be distributed freely and accessible online 24/7 to anyone, including children.’’

The case was seen as a test of Australia’s ability to have social media platforms comply with the country’s laws.

Ms Inman-Grant said ESafety remained committed to holding companies to account without fear or favour, ensuring they complied with the laws of Australia and prioritised the safety and wellbeing of all Australians.  

“We will not waver from this commitment.’’

A 16-year-old boy was charged with a terrorism offence after two people were injured in the alleged stabbing at the “Christ The Good Shepherd Church’’ in western Sydney on April 15.

The church attack came days after six people were killed and dozens injured in a stabbing at a Sydney shopping centre.

(dpa/NAN)