Social media giants criticised following the spread of graphic and false posts in the aftermath of two Sydney stabbing attacks

This matter is due to be back before the Federal Court today. An interim injunction is set to end this evening. X the rebadged Twitter has removed some of this material. Graphic video footage of the stabbing incident. The stabbing of a Sydney Bishop in Wakeley last Monday evening. But the owner of X, Elon Musk, the tech billionaire remains steadfastly opposed to the principle of somebody having the right to police what he is and isn’t allowed on the platform. He’s accused the government of censorship and the content does remain online overseas. The government has responded, the Prime Minister labelling Mr. Musk an arrogant billionaire. But in the early hours of this morning, the tech billionaire Elon Musk took to his his platform, his account to say that the Australian people want the truth and X is the only one standing up for their rights. So the this evening and the current plans, if this matter is in fact brought back this evening as is planned or scheduled, the central focus will be the question of whether the E Safety Commissioner is able or entitled to enforce her ability to demand certain content fitting this description, like this incident is removed from material from platforms, whether that extends beyond Australia’s borders to request that content be removed globally across the Internet. So that’s the key question that will be decided when the matter returns to the Federal Court. And let’s go to those comments from the Federal Police Commissioner who’s also taken aim at social media. What has he had to say? Some strong comments here from the AFP commissioner, Reece Kershaw, who will be giving an address at the National Press Club around lunchtime today alongside the director general of ASIO, the spy agency, Mike Burgess. These comments go to the fact that the most recent two stabbing incidents in Sydney have, in his words, allowed mis and disinformation to spread quite freely, as we’ve seen with the misidentification of the perpetrator in the Bondi Junction attacks. He says that Australians in some cases are being bewitched by content that is on this this platform and saying that that platform form is an online cauldron of poison, saying that there needs to be additional steps taken to remove that information from the platforms. It’s saying that in in the, in fact, a number of these social media companies are pouring fuel on the flames of that poison rather than working to extinguish the embers that surface on those platforms. So allowing that content to spread rather than taking active steps to remove it. Gemma political reporter Nicole Haggerty, thank you.