Australia’s online security regulator has rejected claims by a prominent US Republican congressman that he is “enthusiastic about global takedowns”, as the eSafety Commissioner faced questions from the Australian Parliament over the Guardian investigation into Roblox.
Julie Inman Grant was asked last month by Jim Jordan, the U.S. Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, to speak before the committee.
The committee produced a report in June that argued that the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), which was shut down in August 2024, had colluded with advertisers and foreign regulators. The committee alleged that the group colluded with then-Twitter to demand control over what content it should control on its platform.
The committee had drawn its attention to Inman Grant after emails he sent to the organization showed the commissioner saying that Garm was “helping put the platform into focus”.
In a letter from Jordan to Inman Grant published last month, he requested Inman Grant to be interviewed by the committee, saying that “your broad interpretation and enforcement of Australia’s (Online Security Act)… directly jeopardizes American speech”. Jordan referenced eSafety’s unsuccessful effort to remove a tweet containing footage of the stabbing death of Bishop Mar Marie Emmanuel in a 2024 church.
Jordan said of Inman Grant: “As the primary originator of Australia’s (Online Safety Act) and noted enthusiast for global takedowns, you are uniquely positioned to provide information about the free speech implications of the law both in the US and abroad.
“This information will inform the Committee’s legislative reforms, aimed in part at ensuring that foreign censors cannot silence protected American speech.”
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Inman Grant told Senate estimates Tuesday evening that she was sending a letter to Jordan, but did not confirm whether she would appear before the committee.
“I’m passionate about protecting children online, but I will be going back to them with a letter explaining some things,” she said.
Inman Grant said he wrote in the letter that the Australian people expect companies providing services in Australia to comply with Australian laws. He said that since there was a church stabbing case that was challenged in court by
He said, “So the conclusion is that whatever we do here with the Online Security Act does not affect anything that an American platform would provide to Americans.” “So no, it does not infringe on Americans’ freedom of speech.”
Inman Grant said she would not make her letter public until Jordan saw it, adding that the congressman’s letter reached Sky News at the same time it was sent.
Inman Grant said, “I think out of respect for them – when they sent me their letter, they sent it concurrently, it appears, to Sky News – I prefer it to be sent official to official.”
Inman Grant has not been required to appear before the House Judiciary Committee. Inman Grant was given until December 2 to respond.
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eSafety questioned over Guardian Australia Roblox investigation
Independent senator david pocock Inman Grant was asked about Guardian Australia reporter Sarah Martin’s investigation into Roblox and the bullying and violence children can experience on the platform.
Pocock asked about Roblox’s exclusion from the under-16 social media ban – which is set to come next week – and whether Roblox was a gaming platform or a social interaction platform.
Inman Grant explained the changes made by Roblox using age assurance to prevent children and adults from interacting with each other.
eSafety officials said Roblox’s primary purpose is gaming – which is one of the exemptions from the ban – but as services evolve and more social features are added, the platform must constantly assess whether they can be covered.
Pocock asked whether eSafety was conducting experiments similar to the Guardian investigation to assess Roblox features.
Inman Grant said eSafety is assessing whether it has the legal capacity to set up accounts for its testing.
“We look at a lot of factors in terms of determining what we consider relative risk, experts, things like that… (On the weekend) I’ll often be reading 404 Media or the Guardian or whatever, or Wired and sending some research over for (my team) to look at,” she said.
“We are doing some testing of our own. And we are using our transparency powers, but we are also taking complaints from the general public through our complaint schemes every day.”
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