X Corp slammed for ‘complete lack of interest’ in online safety

Calls to rid the Australian community of X in the wake of a wave of anti-Semitic online hate have been heard an inquiry sparked by the Bondi terror attack. Speaking at the Royal Commission into anti-Semitism and Social Cohesion in Sydney on Friday, Counsel assisting Richard Lancaster SC rebuked Elon Musk’s X Corp and other less prominent online platforms for snubbing the commission. “X Corp’s conduct both within this commission and outside of it begs the question whether X Corp has or ought to have a social license to operate in Australia,” he said in a 15-minute speech. “There are a number of entities that have simply refused to assist the commission at all with its work, despite having significant numbers of end users in Australia. “X has demonstrated a complete lack of interest in providing transparency concerning a topic as important as keeping Australians safe from the proliferation of terrorist and violent extremist material, including extreme anti-Semitism. The Royal Commission into anti-Semitism and Social Cohesion sheds light on bullying in schools. “(This is) despite earning substantial advertising revenue from publishing content to Australian end users, and, in the case of X, despite the fact that it has invoked Australian regulatory and court processes in order to advance its commercial interests. “The evidence that the commission has heard to date establishes that a number of these entities operate social media platforms that are among the most prolific publishers of anti-Semitic content.” Mr Lancaster raised X Corp’s litigation with Australia’s eSafety Commission, noting there recent fight to keep videos of deceased victims from the Bondi Chanukah attack active on their platform. “The eSafety Commissioner has given evidence that X is among the most adversarial of her relationships with mainstream entities,” Mr Lancaster said. “(She) also gave evidence, that there have been eight cases between eSafety and X Corp in the Federal Court or the Administrative Review Tribunal concerning the scope of these safety powers, with six of them started by X. “X decides to be active in Australia to fight for content to be available on X that would, if published, cause immense sadness and harm to the Australian Jewish community; yet the same company refuses to engage with an Australian royal commission that is inquiring into ways to make social media a better place for Australian end users. “X supported its case by saying that notorious depictions of historic and political significance are available online … (attaching) page after page of images from the Holocaust. “It was extraordinary of X to deploy those images in my submission. They give no support to a contention that a video made in 2025 showing some of the deceased after the Bondi Chanukah attack should be permitted to be shown online, and the use of Holocaust imagery in that context should be unequivocally condemned. “Bringing the proceedings to challenge the classification was a step that was legally open to X, but what does it say about corporate social responsibility?” Mr Lancaster reiterated evidence heard by the commission, including research which found X removal rate for anti-Semitic content declined in 2026 to the lowest removal rate of any studied platform. Further research and observation by hate prevention groups and academics, presented to the commission, showed X had been “difficult to work with” for about a decade, even more so since Mr Musk took over the organisation, with a “significant spike in hate” against Jewish communities in the wake of the October 7 attacks. “X featured prominently in the evidence of experts and regulators as a key perpetrator in the proliferation of anti-Semitic hate in the online environment,” Mr Lancaster said. “X Corp has not responded to any of this. Although an apparent proponent of unconstrained speech, X has remained silent in the course of its work.” Mr Lancaster also noted limited or no co-operation with platforms such as Roblox, Discord, Steam, Kik, Substack and Upscroll. Friday marks the last day of hearings dedicated to examining anti-Semitic content and hate speech online, as well as antisemitism in traditional media. Public hearings will continue in Melbourne from Monday. More to come