Latest news with #eSafetyCommission
Sky News AU
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Canadian activist 'Billboard Chris' hails ‘tremendous victory' against eSafety Commissioner and the censorious ‘regime of fear' in Australia
Canadian activist Chris Elston, known online as 'Billboard Chris', said he and his lawyers are 'extremely pleased' after he and Elon Musk's X won a major case against the eSafety Commission and transgender activist Teddy Cook this week. Mr Elston described the hearing as a 'total destruction' of Ms Inman Grant's case against him, and claimed all of the eSafety Commissioner's 'so-called experts' were 'basically dismissed'. The ruling, handed down on Tuesday evening, rescinded a takedown order issued by the eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant for a social media post made by Mr Elston in February last year. Mr Elston's post criticised the World Health Organisation's appointment of Mr Cook to an expert panel to draft policy on caring for transgender people. In the post, he wrote: 'This woman (yes, she's female) is part of a panel of 20 'experts' hired by the WHO to draft their policy on caring for 'trans people'. People who belong in psychiatric wards are writing the guidelines for people who belong in psychiatric wards.' The eSafety Commissioner called the post degrading and issued X with the takedown notice in March and threatened a $782,500 fine if the social media giant refused. Speaking to Sky News on Wednesday evening, Mr Elston said the Administrative Review Tribunal deputy president Damien O'Donovan had judged Billboard Chris acted in accordance to his convictions. '(Mr O'Donovan) even quoted my own testimony where I said that because I believe sex is immutable I'm personally convicted,' he said. Mr Elston said when the deputy president looked at his entire campaign, he saw Billboard Chris had been consistent on this matter. 'My post itself was not about causing serious distress or harm to Teddy Cook. It was about bringing light to a situation where children are being harmed. And we sometimes forget that. This is all about the kids,' he said. Mr Elston said the tendency across the West, not just Australia, was to 'cancel' people and get them fired to instill a 'regime of fear being pushed by these bureaucrats'. He said in his case, Ms Inman Grant was an 'unelected bureaucrat' who only censored in 'one direction.' 'I think this is a tremendous victory. We're stacking up some wins against these censors across the globe,' he said. 'This is, I think, the third victory against the e-Safety commissioner. They keep throwing money at this though because they have inexhaustible resources, but we have something they don't have. We have the truth and we're just going to keep spreading it because the truth spreads for free.' Billboard Chris made headlines after he was approached by a Brisbane City Council in Queen Street Mall while he held a sign stating 'children cannot consent to puberty blockers', who accused him of obstructing people's movement. The council worker went on to issue Mr Elston with an $806 fine for 'obstructing or unreasonably disturbing any person lawfully using a mall', a claim the activist calmly insisted was untrue. Mr Elston's sign reflected current Queensland law after the state government issued a directive banning puberty blockers and cross sex hormones for new patients suffering gender dysphoria earlier this year. Asked if he would come back to Australia following after the recent run-ins, Mr Elston said he would certainly return. 'Not only are they trying to censor me on the digital town square, every physical town square I go into in Australia, they're trying to remove me,' he said. Mr Elston said he had recently secured victory against Brisbane City Council after he challenged the fine. 'This is how we have to act. We can't just let these censors tell us what to do. I'm having conversations about children who are being harmed,' he said. 'Other people go to that town square, they do whatever they want. They actually obstruct people. I did nothing of the sort. So I think I'm going to sue Brisbane City Council as well now that ticket has been thrown out and I'll probably come back just for that.
Sky News AU
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
WATCH LIVE: Canadian activist 'Billboard Chris' speaks to Sky News after win against eSafety Commissioner
Canadian activist Chris Elston, also known as 'Billboard Chris', joins Sky News to discuss his win in court against Australia's eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant. Elon Musk's X and Mr Elston scored a major win against the eSafety Commission and transgender activist Teddy Cook in a landmark ruling from the Administrative Review Tribunal. The ruling, delivered on Tuesday evening, rescinds a takedown order issued by the eSafety Commissioner over a controversial social media post on X from February 2024. Billboard Chris joins Sky News to discuss the ruling and what it means for free speech in Australia. Watch the interview live on The Kenny Report from 5:25pm with a Streaming Subscription.
News.com.au
02-07-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Elon musk, Billboard Chris win in court against eSafety takedown notice on Teddy Cook post
Elon Musk's X and Canadian activist Chris Elston have scored a major win against the eSafety Commission and transgender activist Teddy Cook in a landmark ruling from the Administrative Review Tribunal. The ruling, delivered on Tuesday evening, rescinds a takedown order issued by eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant over a controversial social media post on X from February 2024. In the post, Mr Elston slammed the proposed appointment of Mr Cook, a biological female, to a World Health Organisation panel on healthcare delivery. Mr Elston, who goes by the X name Billboard Chris, took aim at WHO's panel of experts hired to draft policy regarding trans people while also misgendering Mr Cook. The post reads: 'This woman (yes, she's female) is part of a panel of 20 'experts' hired by the WHO to draft their policy on caring for 'trans people'. People who belong in psychiatric wards are writing the guidelines for people who belong in psychiatric wards.' Ms Grant labelled the remarks 'degrading' and issued a takedown notice to X on March 22, threatening the company with a fine of up to $782,500 for any refusal to remove the post. X complied and the post was blocked, but the company and Mr Elston filed a legal challenge against the notice, and on Tuesday evening, ART deputy president O'Donovan ruled in their favour, setting aside the removal order. 'The post, although phrased offensively, is consistent with views Mr Elston has expressed elsewhere in circumstances where the expression of the view had no malicious intent,' Mr O'Donovan said. 'For example, his statement placed on billboards that he is prepared to wear in public 'children are never born in the wrong body' expresses the same idea about the immutability of biology that he expresses, albeit much more provocatively, in the post. 'When the evidence is considered as a whole, I am not satisfied that an ordinary reasonable person would conclude that by making the post Mr Elston intended to cause Mr Cook serious harm.' Mr O'Donovan also said there was no evidence Mr Elston intended for Mr Cook to read or receive the post. 'In the absence of any evidence that Mr Elston intended that Mr Cook would receive and read the post, and in light of the broader explanation as to why Mr Elston made the post, I am satisfied that an ordinary reasonable person would not conclude that it is likely that the post was intended to have an effect of causing serious harm to Mr Cook,' the ruling reads. The ruling centred around the Online Safety Act, which offers a reporting scheme for adult cyber abuse. The Act defines adult cyber abuse as material targeting a particular Australian adult that is both intended to cause serious harm and is also menacing, harassing or offensive in all circumstances. If the material meets both of these two criteria, eSafety holds the power to order its removal. The ruling has been heralded in some quarters as a victory for freedom of speech. Victorian Liberal parliamentarian Moira Deeming celebrated the ruling on X, writing, 'Wow! Than you Billboard Chris and Elon Musk.' Alliance Defending Freedom International executive director Paul Coleman called the ruling a 'decisive win' for free speech. 'In this case, the Australian government alarmingly censored the peaceful expression of a Canadian citizen on an American-owned platform, evidence of the expansive reach of censorial forces, even beyond national borders,' he said. 'This is a victory not just for Billboard Chris but for every Australian – and indeed every citizen who values the fundamental right to free speech.' Mr Cook was formerly ACON's director of LGBTQ+ community health.
Nikkei Asia
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Nikkei Asia
Australia regulator calls to add YouTube to teen social media ban
A YouTube stream on a smartphone in Melbourne shows Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant addressing the National Press Club in Canberra on June 24. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett) SHAUN TURTON SYDNEY -- Australia's internet safety commissioner said Tuesday that she has recommended the government include YouTube in its impending ban on children under 16 accessing social media, casting doubt on a previous exemption. Julie Inman Grant, head of the country's eSafety Commission, sent a letter to Minister for Communications Anika Wells recommending the Google-owned video-sharing platform not be included in draft rules that designate certain services as low risk and as promoting health and education.
Daily Mail
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Huge twist in Albo's social media ban for kids - as one major service comes under the spotlight
Australia's online safety chief has advised the Albanese government to ban children from YouTube as part of its upcoming plans to stop under-16s from accessing social media. The government is set to introduce a world-first ban on children accessing platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, X, and Snapchat. YouTube, which is owned by Google, was initially expected to receive an exemption due to its perceived educational value. However, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has advised the government to remove the exemption. Ms Grant's advice, which was sent to Communications Minister Anika Wells last week, stated that the 'known risks of harm on YouTube' made the exemption 'inconsistent with the purpose' of the ban. Wells is reportedly due to decide on the advice in the coming weeks. The social media ban, which is due to come into effect in December after passing with bipartisan support, will fine platforms up to $50 million unless they take steps to ensure under-16s cannot access them. Ms Grant is due to unveil the e-Safety Commission's latest research into the alleged harms of social media during an address at the National Press Club on Tuesday. According to the AFR, a survey of 2,600 children aged 10 to 15 found that 96 per cent had used at least one social platform. Meanwhile, around 70 per cent had encountered harmful content, including fight videos, misogynistic material or eating disorder content. Ms Grant told ABC's RN that YouTube was 'by far' the most used and the predominant online location where young Australians experienced harm. 'When we asked where they were experiencing harm and the kinds of harms they were experiencing, the most prevalent place where young Australians experienced harm was on YouTube, almost 37 per cent,' she said. 'And this ranges from misogynistic content to hateful material to violent fighting videos, online challenges, disordered eating, suicidal ideation.' A spokesperson for Wells told the paper she would consider the advice. 'Her top priority is making sure the draft rules fulfil the objective of the act – protecting children from the harms of social media,' they said.
