Australian Court Increases Fine Against X to 650,000 Dollars for Online Safety Breach

An Australian federal court has upheld and increased a fine against X, formerly known as Twitter, for failing to provide sufficient information on its measures to protect children from online sexual exploitation and abuse.

The court, under Federal Court Judge Michael Wheelahan, raised the penalty to 650,000 Australian dollars. This amount is higher than the original fine of 610,500 Australian dollars that was issued in October 2023. In addition to the fine, X was ordered to pay 100,000 Australian dollars in legal costs.

The violations took place during the ownership transition of the platform following its acquisition by Elon Musk. Lawyers for X explained that the failure to supply the information in a timely manner resulted from historical delays associated with the change in ownership.

The company acknowledged that it had not complied fully with Australia's online safety regulations in this instance.

Australia has implemented some of the world's strictest online safety regulations. These rules have led to multiple confrontations with X concerning the presence of harmful content and the protection of children on the platform.

The case originated from actions by the Australian online safety regulator aimed at ensuring platforms provide transparency on their child safety protocols.