Messages with hate content skyrocketed on Internet. The Australian eSafety Commission said these “deep cuts” and the reinstatement of thousands of accounts blocked for spreading hate content created a “perfect storm” for the publication of harmful content.
The Australian regulator had access to the detailed breakdown of software engineers, content moderators and other security personnel working at X through a law passed in the oceanic country. According to this data, more than 1,200 “security personnel” workers globally had left X since Musk’s arrival, while some 6,100 previously blocked accounts were restored.
“Several of these reinstated users had been banned for online hate. If the worst offenders are allowed to return to action while significantly reducing the security staff whose job it is to protect users from harm, there are clear concerns about the implications for user safety,” says agency director Julie Inman Grant.
The Australian representative highlights that this reduction in staff also had a direct impact on the social network’s response times to complaints about hate messages.
Australia is leading the global push to regulate social media, forcing technology companies to describe how they are tackling issues such as hate speech and child sexual abuse. But attempts to exercise these powers have sometimes been met with indifference by companies.
In October 2023, the Australian commission fined But X ignored the deadline to pay the fine, before launching ongoing legal action to have it overturned.