SYDNEY: An Australian regulator has fined Elon Musk's social media platform X A$610,500 ($386,000) for failing to cooperate with a probe into anti-child abuse practices, a blow to a company that has struggled to keep advertisers amid complaints it is going soft on moderating content.
The e-Safety Commission fined X, the platform Musk rebranded from Twitter, saying it failed to respond to questions including how long it took to respond to reports of child abuse material on the platform and the methods it used to detect it.
Though small compared to the $44 billion Musk paid for the website in October 2022, the fine is a reputational hit for a company that has seen a continuous revenue decline as advertisers cut spending on a platform that has stopped most content moderation and reinstated thousands of banned accounts.
Most recently the EU said it was investigating X for potential violation of its new tech rules after the platform was accused of failing to rein in disinformation in relation to Hamas's attack on Israel.
"If you've got answers to questions, if you're actually putting people, processes and technology in place to tackle illegal content at scale, and globally, and if it's your stated priority, it's pretty easy to say," Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said in an interview.
"The only reason I can see to fail to answer important questions about illegal content and conduct happening on platforms would be if you don't have answers," added Inman Grant, who was a public policy director for X until 2016.
X closed its Australian office after Musk's buyout, so there was no local representative to respond to Reuters. A request for comment sent to the San Francisco-based company's media email address was not immediately answered.
Under Australian laws that took effect in 2021, the regulator can compel internet companies to give information about their online safety practices or face a fine. If X refuses to pay the fine, the regulator can pursue the company in court, Grant said.
After taking the company private, Musk said in a post that "removing child exploitation is priority #1". But the Australian regulator said that when it asked X how it prevented child grooming on the platform, X responded that it was "not a service used by large numbers of young people".
X told the regulator available anti-grooming technology was "not of sufficient capability or accuracy to be deployed on Twitter".
Inman Grant said the commission also issued a warning to Alphabet's GOOGL.O Google for noncompliance with its request for information about handling of child abuse content, calling the search engine giant's responses to some questions "generic". Google said it had cooperated with the regulator and was disappointed by the warning.
"We remain committed to these efforts and collaborating constructively and in good faith with the e-Safety Commissioner, government and industry on the shared goal of keeping Australians safer online," said Google's director of government affairs and public policy for Australia, Lucinda Longcroft.
X's noncompliance was more serious, the regulator said, including failure to answer questions about how long it took to respond to reports of child abuse, steps it took to detect child abuse in livestreams and its numbers of content moderation, safety and public policy staff.
The company confirmed to the regulator that it had cut 80% of its workforce globally and has no public policy staff in Australia, compared to two before Musk's takeover.
X told the regulator its proactive detection of child abuse material in public posts dropped after Musk took the company private.
The company told the regulator it did not use tools to detect the material in private messages because "the technology is still in development", the regulator said.
Reuters
Mon Oct 16 2023
![Australia fines Musk's X platform $386,000 over anti-child abuse gaps Australia fines Musk's X platform $386,000 over anti-child abuse gaps](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2023-08/81693372287_twitterlogo.jpg)
The e-Safety Commission fined X, saying it failed to respond to questions including how long it took to respond to reports of child abuse material on the platform and the methods it used to detect it. - FREEPIK
Tumpuan Isnin – 08 Julai 2024
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan di Astro AWANI.
'Jeff' dinobat siput terpantas dunia, menang Kejohanan Dunia Lumba Siput
Tahun ini, siput bernama Jeff dinobatkan sebagai pemenang, menang saingan akhir dengan masa 4 minit dan 3 saat. Begitupun, kepantasan Jeff tidak dapat memadam rekod yang dibuat pada tahun 1995 oleh seekor siput bernama Archie.
![Pentadbiran Prabowo-Gibran dijangka perkukuh industri sawit Indonesia Pentadbiran Prabowo-Gibran dijangka perkukuh industri sawit Indonesia](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/81720368598_TBPrabowo.jpg)
Pentadbiran Prabowo-Gibran dijangka perkukuh industri sawit Indonesia
Kerajaan baharu yang akan dipimpin oleh Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka dijangka memperkukuh daya saing produk minyak sawit sebagai komoditi strategik untuk pasaran domestik dan antarabangsa.
![Kanak-kanak lelaki maut selepas terjatuh ke dalam tasik Kanak-kanak lelaki maut selepas terjatuh ke dalam tasik](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-01/61706067730_TBgarisanpolis.jpg)
Kanak-kanak lelaki maut selepas terjatuh ke dalam tasik
Seorang kanak-kanak lelaki berusia sembilan tahun maut selepas terjatuh ke dalam tasik dipercayai ketika sedang mencari lokan di Taman Tasik Teratai Fasa 2 Serendah, Hulu Selangor.
Ribuan umat Islam zahir solidariti kepada Palestin di Shah Alam
Bertemakan Gaza Bangkit, program pada Ahad malam itu turut mengundang pendakwah dari Indonesia, Ustaz Abdul Somad Batubara untuk menyampaikan ceramah.
NGO, belia perlu ambil iktibar peristiwa hijrah - PM
Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim menyeru pertubuhan bukan kerajaan dan gerakan belia mengambil iktibar daripada peristiwa Hijrah Nabi Muhammad SAW untuk mengembalikan kegemilangan negara.
Kehadiran ATM di Timur Sabah berikan keyakinan masyarakat setempat
Kehadiran pasukan Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM) di Timur Sabah meningkatkan keyakinan masyarakat setempat serta merancakkan lagi pembangunan sektor pelancongan, ekonomi dan sosial di kawasan itu.
![Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2023-12/61703329565_TBBERITAx.jpg)
Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Berikut adalah berita yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang Ahad, 7 Julai 2024.
![Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-03/71709993909_TBBERITAx.jpg)
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang Ahad, 7 Julai 2024.
Enam cedera hari pertama Festival Larian Lembu di Sepanyol
Meskipun ada yang cedera, acara tersebut sentiasa mendapat perhatian dan tahun ini, ratusan orang mengejar enam ekor lembu jantan di bandar itu.
![Pendapatan X merosot teruk, bakal lancar sistem pembayaran sendiri Pendapatan X merosot teruk, bakal lancar sistem pembayaran sendiri](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-06/41718408932_XTwitter.jpg)
Pendapatan X merosot teruk, bakal lancar sistem pembayaran sendiri
Pendapatan X dalam enam bulan pertama 2023 ialah $1.48 billion yang bersamaan penyusutan 40 peratus berbanding tempoh sama tahun lalu.
![Indonesia sedia haramkan X jika tidak halang kandungan lucah Indonesia sedia haramkan X jika tidak halang kandungan lucah](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-05/71714708473_tbGENERICPHONE.jpg)
Indonesia sedia haramkan X jika tidak halang kandungan lucah
Menteri berkenaan telah menghantar surat amaran kepada X berkaitan perkara ini.
![Menteri Indonesia ancam tutup X kerana kandungan lucah Menteri Indonesia ancam tutup X kerana kandungan lucah](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-06/41718408932_XTwitter.jpg)
Menteri Indonesia ancam tutup X kerana kandungan lucah
Kerajaan Indonesia akan menghantar lebih banyak surat amaran sebelum memutuskan kemungkinan penutupan.
![Elon Musk tarik tuntutan saman ke atas OpenAI, Sam Altman Elon Musk tarik tuntutan saman ke atas OpenAI, Sam Altman](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-03/71710843810_ElonMusk.jpg)
Elon Musk tarik tuntutan saman ke atas OpenAI, Sam Altman
Tiada sebab diberikan mengapa saman ditarik dan pihak Elon Musk belum mengemukakan sebarang kenyataan rasmi mengenainya.
![Elon Musk mahu haramkan penggunaan peranti Apple di syarikat miliknya Elon Musk mahu haramkan penggunaan peranti Apple di syarikat miliknya](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-04/71713929876_ElonMuskjpg.jpg)
Elon Musk mahu haramkan penggunaan peranti Apple di syarikat miliknya
Pada pandangan Musk, ini akan mendatangkan risiko sekuriti yang serius.
![Elon Musk mungkin tinggalkan Tesla jika tidak dibayar $56 bilion Elon Musk mungkin tinggalkan Tesla jika tidak dibayar $56 bilion](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-04/71713929876_ElonMuskjpg.jpg)
Elon Musk mungkin tinggalkan Tesla jika tidak dibayar $56 bilion
Robyn Denholm, salah seorang lembaga pengarah berkata, Tesla perlu mengotakan janji jika ingin Elon Musk kekal bersama syarikat.
![Nilai pasaran Nvidia cecah AS$3 trilion Nilai pasaran Nvidia cecah AS$3 trilion](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-06/51717639416_NVIDIA.jpg)
Nilai pasaran Nvidia cecah AS$3 trilion
Nilai pasaran Nvidia melonjak ke paras tertinggi, mencecah $3 trilion pada Rabu.
![Angkasawan bersedia untuk penerbangan pertama Starliner Angkasawan bersedia untuk penerbangan pertama Starliner](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-06/61717260956_BoeingsStarliner.jpg)
Angkasawan bersedia untuk penerbangan pertama Starliner
CST-100 Starliner dengan dua orang angkasawan dijangka berlepas pada jam 12:25 tengah hari dari Pusat Angkasa Kennedy NASA di Florida.
![xAI Milik Elon Musk raih suntikan dana pelaburan berjumlah AS$6 bilion xAI Milik Elon Musk raih suntikan dana pelaburan berjumlah AS$6 bilion](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2023-07/61689226648_ELONMUSKXAI.jpg)
xAI Milik Elon Musk raih suntikan dana pelaburan berjumlah AS$6 bilion
Ia termasuk daripada Sequoia Capital, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal and Kingdom Holding, dan beberapa pihak yang lain.
![Fadillah, Elon Musk hadiri mesyuarat kepimpinan tertinggi Forum Air Dunia Fadillah, Elon Musk hadiri mesyuarat kepimpinan tertinggi Forum Air Dunia](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-05/61716202483_FadillahYusof.jpg)
Fadillah, Elon Musk hadiri mesyuarat kepimpinan tertinggi Forum Air Dunia
Timbalan Perdana Menteri merangkap Menteri Peralihan Tenaga dan Transformasi Air, Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof menyertai pemimpin dunia di mesyuarat kepimpinan tertinggi di Forum Air Dunia (WWF) ke-10.