Australia’s e-safety regulator warned Twitter about rise in online hate speech during voice debate

FoI request reveals watchdog approached platform – now known as X – to discuss voice to parliament referendum but it did not substantially respond

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Australia’s online safety regulator warned Twitter of a likely increase in online hate targeting Indigenous Australians in the lead-up to the voice to parliament referendum but the platform did not substantially respond to its concerns, a freedom of information request reveals.

The eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, sent a legal notice to X – the rebranded Twitter – in June demanding an explanation over what she said was an increase in complaints since Elon Musk’s takeover of the company in October last year. She said there had been more complaints about online hate on Twitter in the past year than any other platform.

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