Australian online watchdog drops court case against X over stabbing video

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s online safety watchdog has dropped her Federal Court case aimed at forcing X Corp. to take down a video of a Sydney bishop being stabbed. But eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said Wednesday that she will continue her legal action in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal against the platform that billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk bought. Musk welcomed the decision, posting on X that “freedom of speech is worth fighting for.” The case before the tribunal, which reviews bureaucrats’ administrative decisions, had been brought by X and had been running in parallel with the Federal Court case. Inman Grant says cost is a factor in her decision to “consolidate” her commission’s legal action against X.