Censor Watch

Another layer of secrecy is being stripped from Australian internet users. At a time when users are being forced to and over personal ID data in the name of age verification, it seems that governments will be quick in demanding that internet companies have to hand over such data to them.

It was announced that internet companies will now be forced to reveal the ages of active users supposedly so that the Australian Government can get a grip on the impact these platforms are having on Australian kids.

Last week the Albanese Government announced sweeping reforms intended to boost transparency and accountability for digital platforms used by Australians including popular social media, messaging and gaming services. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the government had amended the Basic Online Safety Expectations to better address new and emerging online safety issues and help hold the tech industry accountable.

The new Determination will also require companies to provide, on request of the eSafety Commissioner, a report on the number of active end-users of services in Australia, broken down according to the number of users who are children or adults.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said that without information on users' ages, the Government was flying blind. Inman Grant said these strengthened powers meant her office would now be able to find out precisely how many children are on specific services. She said:

This needs to be a starting point of understanding how many under-aged users are on these platforms today, otherwise governments are flying blind. If we're serious about effectively managing the ages and stages at which a child can partake in social media, we need to move forward with all technology companies deploying effective age-assurance systems.

Australia has abandoned a legal battle to have footage of a church stabbing in Sydney removed worldwide from Elon Musk's social media platform X.

Declared a terror incident by police, the attack on bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel in April was livestreamed online and led to riots outside the Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley.

Australia's internet censor, title d eSafety Commissioner, threatened X and other social media companies with hefty fines if they did not remove videos of the stabbing.

X did block access to the video in Australia, but users could easily get around this by using a VPN. So the internet censor, Julie Inman-Grant,  demanded that the video be removed worldwide from X. Musk responded by calling her a censorship commissar.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded back by labelling Musk an arrogant billionaire.

Australia's Federal Court temporarily ordered X hide the videos.

X refused to comply arguing that the commission's orders were unlawful and dangerous. X said:

Global takedown orders go against the very principles of a free and open internet and threaten free speech everywhere.

The case was seen as a test of Australia's ability to enforce its online safety rules globally on the social media giants.

In a statement Inman-Grant said owing to multiple considerations, dropping the case was likely to achieve the most positive outcome for the online safety of all Australians, especially children.

In a statement on X, the firm's Global Government Affairs team said they were heartened to see that freedom of speech has prevailed.

X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, updated its adult content rules to clarify how adult content may be posted and viewed.

The new policy states that users may share consensually produced and distributed adult nudity or sexual behavior, provided it's properly labeled and not prominently displayed. The policy also establishes a specific Adult Content warning, instead of the generic Sensitive Media label.

The new rules from the X website read:

You may share consensually produced and distributed adult nudity or sexual behavior, provided it's properly labeled and not prominently displayed.

We believe that users should be able to create, distribute, and consume material related to sexual themes as long as it is consensually produced and distributed. Sexual expression, whether visual or written, can be a legitimate form of artistic expression. We believe in the autonomy of adults to engage with and create content that reflects their own beliefs, desires, and experiences, including those related to sexuality. We balance this freedom by restricting exposure to Adult Content for children or adult users who choose not to see it. We also prohibit content promoting exploitation, nonconsent, objectification, sexualization or harm to minors, and obscene behaviors. We also do not allow sharing Adult Content in highly visible places such as profile photos or banners.

How we define Adult Content

Adult Content is any consensually produced and distributed material depicting adult nudity or sexual behavior that is pornographic or intended to cause sexual arousal. This also applies to AI-generated, photographic or animated content such as cartoons, hentai, or anime. Examples include depictions of:

• full or partial nudity, including close-ups of genitals, buttocks, or breasts;

• explicit or implied sexual behavior or simulated acts such as sexual intercourse and other sexual acts.

How to mark your content

If you regularly post adult content on X, we ask that you please adjust your media settings. Doing so places all your images and videos behind a content warning that needs to be acknowledged before your media can be viewed. You can also add a one-time content warning on individual posts. If you continue to fail marking your posts, we will adjust your account settings for you.

Users under 18 or viewers who do not include a birth date on their profile cannot click to view marked content. Learn more about age restricted content here .