Australia fines ‘X’ $610,500 for child abuse content and warns Google

Australia’s online safety regulator, eSafety, has imposed a fine of $610,500 (AUD) on X, formerly known as Twitter, for its failure to respond to inquiries regarding reports of child sexual exploitation on its platform.

In addition, the search giant, Google, was also found guilty of a similar offense but received a formal warning, with eSafety noting that Google’s case was not as severe as that of X. X, which is currently contending with disinformation allegations from the European Union, has been given a 28-day window “to request the withdrawal of the infringement notice or to pay the penalty.”

In an official statement released on Monday, eSafety revealed that X did not provide satisfactory responses to several critical questions, including the platform’s response time to reports of child sexual exploitation, the measures in place to detect such exploitation in livestreams, and the tools and technologies employed to identify child sexual exploitation material.

Moreover, X’s responses regarding the number of safety and public policy staff retained by the company following its acquisition in October 2022 and the subsequent job cuts were also deemed inadequate by the online watchdog.

The Pervasive Issue of Online Child Sexual Exploitation

The proliferation of online child sexual exploitation is a mounting concern not only in Australia but worldwide. Julie Inman Grant, eSafety Commissioner, stressed that technology companies bear a moral responsibility to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse that occurs on their platforms.

She stated, “We really can’t hope to have any accountability from the online industry in tackling this issue without meaningful transparency, which is what these notices are designed to surface.” Grant referred to a previous report that exposed deficiencies in how tech companies such as Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Skype, Snap, WhatsApp, and Omegle were addressing this issue. The latest report echoes these concerns, revealing gaps in how these tech giants are addressing the rise in sexual extortion. Grant emphasized that these are grave crimes perpetrated by predatory adults against innocent children, and the community expects tech companies to take substantial action.

X and Google Found Guilty

eSafety’s recent findings from notices issued to tech companies in Australia indicated that Twitter/X and Google failed to comply with the notices. Both companies inadequately responded to several questions in their respective notices. Google received a formal warning due to its provision of generic responses to specific questions and aggregated information when questioned about specific services. On the other hand, Twitter/X was issued an infringement notice of $610,500 and has 28 days to request the withdrawal of the notice or pay the penalty.

Grant expressed her disappointment in Twitter/X and Google’s non-compliance, particularly given that the questions pertained to child protection and severe forms of online harm. She emphasized that Twitter/X has publicly stated that addressing child sexual exploitation is its top priority, but words must be substantiated with concrete action. Grant pointed out that if these companies cannot provide answers to crucial questions about their efforts to combat child sexual exploitation, it raises concerns about their commitment and ability to fulfill their responsibilities to the Australian community.

Regulation of Social Media in Nigeria

In Nigeria, there is also an ongoing effort to regulate social media, although the specific impact on content detrimental to children remains unclear. The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) recently announced that it is engaging with major social media platforms to curb user excesses. Francisca Aiyetan, the Director of Broadcast Monitoring at the NBC, expressed concerns about the potential for young people to be led astray in the absence of social media regulation. The NBC has already submitted a regulation bill to the National Assembly, signaling the government’s commitment to addressing these challenges.