CANBERRA, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Federal Court has ordered Elon Musk's X Corp to pay 750,000 Australian dollars (about 534,600 USD) after it admitted to failing to fully comply with a regulatory notice on child sexual exploitation and abuse material.
Thursday's penalty hearing concludes a three-year legal dispute between the social media company and Australia's online safety watchdog. The order includes a civil penalty of 650,000 dollars and legal costs of 100,000 dollars within 45 days.
"A penalty near the maximum is appropriate in the case of the respondent, which is a substantial corporation so that it operates as a real deterrent and is not simply a cost of doing business," said Justice Michael Wheelahan on his decision.
The case stems from a February 2023 transparency notice issued by Australia's eSafety Commissioner to then-Twitter, requiring information on measures to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse materials on the platform. Twitter merged into X Corp the following month.
X Corp initially argued it was not bound by the notice after the corporate restructure, but the Federal Court rejected that position in 2024, a ruling upheld on appeal in 2025. The company later admitted it contravened the law by failing to respond fully for 38 days, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
"Meaningful transparency is critical to holding technology companies to account," eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said in a statement.
It provides the Australian public with important information about how these companies are "tackling the worst-of-the-worst content on their platforms," she said. ■