Julie Inman Grant may be able to limit Australians seeing a livestreamed US execution – but it could start a diplomatic incident
Summary
Australia’s online safety regulator, Julie Inman Grant, has some legal powers to block Australians from watching a planned livestream of a US military execution. However, past cases show that some social media platforms may fight these restrictions, which could cause public disagreements and diplomatic problems between Australia and the US.Key Facts
- The US plans to livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan in early December.
- Australia’s eSafety commissioner can order platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X to block content classified as “refused classification” under Australian law.
- This classification is typically used for very violent content, like terror attacks.
- Some platforms, such as Meta, may block the video on their own, but others, like X (owned by Elon Musk), often resist removal orders.
- X has previously won legal cases to keep violent videos online or reduce their classification in Australia.
- The eSafety commissioner can also order internet providers such as Telstra and Optus to block websites hosting violent material but has not used this power yet.
- Using these powers to block the US execution livestream could cause political and diplomatic tensions.
- The regulator might also seek penalties against platforms that fail to remove violent content.
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