Australia's Top Online Censor Fines X for Refusing to Answer Moderation Questions

Australia's Top Online Censor Fines X for Refusing to Answer Moderation Questions

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s top censor, E-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, has slapped X.com with a fine of 610,500 Australian dollars (approximately $386,000) for violating the country’s new Online Safety Act.

The fine is reportedly the first instance of Inman Grant’s office penalizing an online platform over issues related to user-generated content. However, X is not the only company under scrutiny by Inman Grant.

Earlier this year, Inman Grant sent formal questions to several international online platforms demanding explanations as to “what they were doing to tackle a proliferation of child sexual exploitation, sexual extortion and the livestreaming of child sexual abuse,” the Associated Press reported Monday.

According to The Guardian, the tech companies, as well as gaming platforms Twitch and Discord, were given 35 days to respond to the commissioner’s questions or risk fines of up to $687,000 a day, legal demands which came six months after similar notices were issued to Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Snap and Omegle.

Inman Grant claimed that X and Google “did not comply with the notices, with Google giving generic responses to some specific questions, while some questions to X went entirely unanswered,” The Guardian reported Monday.

“I think there’s a degree of defiance there,” Inman Grant told the AP as justification for the six-figure fine to X.com. She cited the company’s refusal to answer questions about how many staffers remained on its trust and safety team since Elon Musk purchased the company in 2022.

Google has been given a formal warning, while X was given an infringement notice and now has 28 days to either pay the fine or provide responses to all her questions.

An Anti-Porn Bureaucrat With Broad Oversight Powers

As XBIZ reported, the vocally anti-porn Inman Grant was appointed by the former conservative government of Australia. She has acknowledged having conversations with U.S.-based, religiously-inspired lobby NCOSE and even appeared on an NCOSE podcast at the Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation summit in July 2021, shortly after the Australian Parliament passed the country’s Online Safety Act.

Before moving to Australia, Inman Grant received degrees from Boston University and American University, worked in politics in Washington D.C. and then for tech giants Microsoft, Twitter and Adobe. According to her official bio, she now claims to “lead the world’s first government regulatory agency committed to keeping its citizens safer online.” She was reappointed for a further five-year term by the Australian government in January 2022.

Inman Grant submitted her road map for imposing age verification requirements on “online pornographic sites” back in March, but in August, the liberal-leaning Australian government announced that it will not require adult websites to implement age verification, one of Inman Grant’s main objectives. According to a report by The Guardian, the decision was made due to “concerns about privacy and the lack of maturity of the technology.”

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland’s response to the document instead instructed Inman Grant “to work with the industry to develop a new code to educate parents on how to access filtering software and limit children’s access to such material or sites that are not appropriate,” the Guardian reported in August.

Main Image: Australia's top online censor, E-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Supreme Court Rules Against Adult Industry in Pivotal Texas AV Case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday issued its decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, striking a blow against the online adult industry by ruling in support of Texas’ controversial age verification law, HB 1181.

North Carolina Passes Extreme Bill Targeting Adult Sites

The North Carolina state legislature this week ratified a bill that would impose new regulations that industry observers have warned could push adult websites and platforms to ban most adult creators and content.

Supreme Court Ruling Due Friday in FSC v. Paxton AV Case

The U.S. Supreme Court will rule on Friday in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, the adult industry trade association's challenge to Texas’ controversial age verification law, HB 1181.

Ofcom: More Porn Providers Commit to Age Assurance Measures

A number of adult content providers operating in the U.K. have confirmed that they plan to introduce age checks in compliance with the Online Safety Act by the July 25 deadline, according to U.K. media regulator Ofcom.

Aylo Says It Will Comply With UK Age Assurance Requirements

Tech and media company Aylo, which owns various adult properties including Pornhub, YouPorn and Redtube, plans to introduce age assurance methods in the United Kingdom that satisfy government rules under the Online Safety Act, the company has announced.

Kyrgyzstan Parliament Approves Measure Outlawing Internet Porn

The Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday passed legislation outlawing online adult content in the country.

Trial Set for Lawsuit by U Wisconsin Professor Fired Over Adult Content

A trial date of June 22, 2026, has been set for the civil lawsuit filed by veteran communications professor Joe Gow against the University of Wisconsin board of regents, which fired him for creating and appearing in adult content.

New UK Task Force Meets to Target Adult Content

The architect of an influential report that recommended banning adult content deemed “degrading, violent and misogynistic” has convened an “Independent Pornography Review task force” aimed at translating that report’s findings into action in the U.K.

11:11 Creations Launches Affiliate Program

11:11 Creations principal Alicia Silver has launched 11:11 Cash for creators and affiliates.

Pineapple Support, Pornhub to Host 'Self Love' Support Group

Pineapple Support and Pornhub are hosting a free online support group for performers to develop self-love.

Show More