Julie Inman Grant, Australia's eSafety commissioner, provided evidence to the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion on Thursday. She stated that mainstream social media platforms are fighting to distribute and monetize "gore" and "fringe" content.

Grant said social media platforms are spending more to challenge regulation while simultaneously spending less on trust and safety teams. She added that social media platforms feel protected by the anti-regulation Trump administration. Her office has faced complexities in attempts to remove content such as paedophile sites, suicide-incitement sites, and footage of the Christchurch massacre.

The eSafety commissioner noted that X pushed back regarding Australians' access to various videos, including the Charlie Kirk assassination video and footage of the stabbing of Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte train. X also pushed back concerning footage of the church stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel in Wakeley, New South Wales. Grant said six of the eight cases her office is currently engaged in with X were instigated by X. The organization told her that the Bondi attack footage was "not any worse than you would see in a gore movie."

She fought to classify footage of the Bondi attack as 'refused classification,' which would make its distribution in Australia illegal. "So we fought really hard and we were able to get them to agree to keep that refused classification," Grant said. She added that she could not "think of anything more horrific for the family members and the Australian Jewish community."

Grant commented that antisemitism and hate speech are not explicitly covered in the eSafety commissioner's mandate, which covers cyberbullying, adult cyber-abuse, image-based abuse, and illegal and restricted online content. She said only 2% of adult cyber-abuse complaints meet the high threshold for action, attributing this low rate to freedom of speech protections. She also described the adult cyber-abuse scheme as not fit for purpose and suggested placing responsibility for online abuse back on the platforms.

Grant cited a South Australian case where a 14-year-old girl received death and rape threats from six friends of a boy. The eSafety commissioner contacted the school and parents involved and sent an end user notice requesting proof of content deletion and a pledge not to re-engage in such conduct. The eSafety commissioner has the ability to take further enforcement action if an end user notice is not complied with.

Why It Matters

These proceedings are part of the third block of hearings for the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion, which is examining the role of social media and traditional media. Grant's testimony addresses the challenges regulators face in managing harmful content online and highlights specific instances where platforms resisted content removal. Her statements provide insight into the ongoing debate over platform accountability and regulatory enforcement of online content.