An Australian federal court has upheld a fine against social media platform X over failures to comply with child internet safety regulations, bringing to an end a three-year legal dispute between the company and Australian authorities.
The case stemmed from a demand issued in February 2023 by Australia’s online safety regulator, the eSafety Commission, requesting detailed information on how the platform, then known as Twitter, was combating the spread of child sexual abuse material online.
Following the platform’s transition to X under billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, regulators accused the company of submitting incomplete responses to repeated requests for information.
A federal court had earlier ruled in October 2024 that X was legally obligated to comply fully with the notice issued by the regulator.
On Thursday, the court ordered the company to pay a fine of 650,000 Australian dollars (approximately 464,900 U.S. dollars).
Federal Justice Michael Wheelahan said the penalty was necessary to ensure compliance by large technology firms.
“A penalty near the maximum is appropriate in the case of the respondent, which is a substantial corporation, so that it operates as a real deterrent and is not simply a cost of doing business,” he said.
Australia has emerged as one of the leading countries advocating stricter regulation of major technology platforms.
The country recently introduced world-first legislation aimed at banning children under the age of 16 from accessing certain social media platforms.
Countries including France, United Kingdom and Canada are reportedly considering similar measures following consultations with Australian authorities.
Reacting to the judgment, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said transparency remained essential in holding technology companies accountable.
“Meaningful transparency is critical to holding technology companies to account,” she said.
“This is not only a key part of our work as Australia’s online safety regulator, it also provides the Australian public with important information about how these companies are tackling the worst-of-the-worst content on their platforms,” she added.
