Australia has issued a legal notice to Twitter, urging the social media giant to provide information regarding its efforts in addressing the rampant issue of online hate. The country’s eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, criticized Twitter for its failure to effectively tackle the problem, citing a worrying surge in online hate incidents.
According to Inman Grant, one-third of all reported complaints about online hate were associated with Twitter, making it the platform with the highest number of such complaints over the past year. The situation has escalated since Elon Musk assumed control of the company in October 2022, with an increasing number of reports highlighting severe cases of online abuse.
Highlighting the severity of the issue, Inman Grant revealed that nearly one in five Australians had experienced online hate. The marginalized communities, including First Nations Australians, disabled individuals, and the LGBT population, endured online hate at twice the rate of the general population.
While Twitter’s terms of use and policies explicitly prohibit hateful conduct on the platform, Inman Grant suggested that the company was not adequately enforcing its own rules. Of particular concern was the reinstatement of banned accounts, which had given rise to “extreme polarizers, peddlers of outrage, and hate,” including neo-Nazis in both Australia and abroad.
Inman Grant emphasized the need for accountability and action from social media platforms to protect their users. She stressed that transparency was vital in achieving accountability and justified the legal notice as a means to attain this objective.
If Twitter fails to respond to the legal notice within 28 days, the company could face a daily fine of up to 700,000 Australian dollars (475,000 U.S. dollars) for ongoing breaches.
Since March, Twitter’s response to media inquiries has been uncooperative, as the platform’s press email has consistently replied with a single poop emoji.
Australia’s firm stance reflects the growing concern over online hate and the urgent need for social media platforms to prioritize user safety and combat these issues effectively.
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