Musk labels the Australian administration asauthoritarian.
The Australian Labor administration is planning to implement a new regulation tackling false info online, featuring hefty penalties. It comes as no shock that Elon Musk, known for his loose relationship with truth, has voiced his opinion.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and proprietor of social media platform X, has referred to the Australian government as "authoritarians" due to a proposed regulation aiming to curb misinformation on digital platforms. As a self-proclaimed defender of free speech, Musk responded to a tweet from an X user sharing a Reuters article regarding the proposed misinformation legislation with a blunt one-word remark: "Authoritarians."
The Australian Labor administration proposed this bill in parliament, which suggests fines of up to 5% of global revenue for platforms broadcasting falsehoods, and outlines the establishment of codes of conduct by tech platforms to prevent their dissemination.
In another contentious scenario with the Australian government, X voyaged to court in April to challenge an order issued by a cyber-regulatory body to eliminate posts about a bishop's stabbing in Sydney. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese labeled Musk an "overconfident billionaire" in response.
Musk's latest criticism of initiatives to combat misinformation was met with derision by government lawmakers. Deputy Treasurer Stephen Jones dismissed his comment as "foolishness." "This is about national sovereignty [...], we're asserting our ability to legislate laws that guarantee the security of Australians," Jones told ABC TV. Social media platforms should not distribute fabricated information, bogus material, and live-streamed acts of violence under the guise of free speech, he concluded.
Musk, expressing his views as a staunch advocate for [Freedom of expression], criticized the Australian Labor administration's proposal as an infringement on free speech rights. In response to Jones's statement about national sovereignty and the need to combat misinformation, Musk might argue that such regulations could inadvertently restrict legitimate freedom of expression online.
