Tech billionaire Elon Musk has labeled the Australian government “fascists” over proposed fines for social media companies that fail to curb misinformation. The Australian Labor Party’s proposal could impose fines of up to 5 percent of global annual revenue on platforms that permit the spread of content deemed “reasonably verifiable as false, misleading, or deceptive and likely to cause serious harm.”
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland unveiled the legislation on Thursday after a previous version was scrapped due to backlash from media, civil liberties advocates, and human rights groups. “Misinformation and disinformation threaten Australians’ safety, democracy, society, and economy. Ignoring the issue is not an option,” Rowland stated.
Elon Musk, owner of X, responded to news of the proposed law with a single word: “Fascists.”
Government Services Minister Bill Shorten dismissed Musk’s comments, accusing the Tesla CEO of inconsistency on freedom of speech.
“Elon Musk has had more positions on free speech than the Kama Sutra,” Bill Shorten said in an interview on Nine Network’s Today show. “When it benefits him commercially, he champions free speech, but when it doesn’t, he tries to shut it down.”
Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones also criticized Musk, calling the law a matter of national sovereignty. “This is crackpot stuff,” Jones told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “Publishing deepfake content, child pornography, livestreaming murder—does Musk think this is what free speech is about?”
Musk has previously had conflicts with Australian authorities over free speech issues.
In April, X challenged Australia’s eSafety commissioner in court over an order to remove posts related to a knife attack on a bishop in Sydney. This led to a public feud between Elon Musk and Australian officials, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calling Musk an “arrogant billionaire.”
The legal dispute ended in June when the internet watchdog withdrew its case after an Australian judge refused to extend an order requiring X to globally hide graphic video of the stabbing, which the platform had resisted.
