Rumble Says it Received ‘Censorship’ Demands From Australia and New Zealand

The Rumble app download page on a smartphone against a YouTube logo background in Los Angeles, on March 29, 2023. Chris DelmasAFP via Getty Images

Rumble CEO and founder Chris Pavlovski says he has received “censorship” demands from authorities in Australia, New Zealand, and other countries.

Mr. Pavlovski said the video-sharing platform noticed a “dramatic increase” in global censorship.

This comes after Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant ordered social media companies to remove videos and images related to two stabbing events in Sydney last week.

“If they fail to remove the content, then we can go to search engines such as Google or Bing to really minimise the amount of content that Australians can see,” she said, referring to additional measures that could be implemented to restrict the sharing of content.

Rumble is a NASDAQ-listed online video-sharing platform with a focus on free speech that enables people to share and monetise videos.

Explaining his concern Mr. Pavloski noted censorship infringed on “everyone’s human rights.”

“It’s the worst I’ve seen it. First France, then Brazil, and now it feels like everyone is following France and Brazil’s lead. [U.S.] State Department needs to intervene ASAP,” Mr. Pavlovski said on X.

Elon Musk Reacts

The social media post from the Rumble founder attracted the attention of X owner Elon Musk, who posted one word “same.”

Mr. Musk also labelled eSafety Commissioner Ms. Inman Grant the “Australian censorship commissar” in a separate post.

X also revealed it had received a takedown order from the eSafety boss and a threat of daily fines worth hundreds of thousands.

“The recent attacks in Australia are a horrific assault on free society. Our condolences go out to those who have been affected, and we stand with the Australian people in calling for those responsible to be brought to justice,” X posted.

“Following these events, the Australian eSafety commissioner ordered X to remove certain posts in Australia that publicly commented on the recent attack against a Christian Bishop. These posts did not violate X’s rules on violent speech.”

The global platform said it does not believe eSafety’s order was in the scope of Australian law, and complied with the directive pending a legal challenge.

“X has now received a demand from the eSafety commissioner that X globally withhold these posts or face a daily fine of $785,000 AUD (about $500,000 USD),” the platform posted.

“While X respects the right of a country to enforce its laws within its jurisdiction, the eSafety commissioner does not have the authority to dictate what content X’s users can see globally.  We will robustly challenge this unlawful and dangerous approach in court.”

‘Will Not Be Bullied’ By Elon Musk: Australian Government

In response, centre-left Labor’s Health Minister Mark Butler said the government not be bullied by Mr. Musk or any other tech billionaire.

“I’ve heard suggestions that Elon Musk is saying he’s going to fight the fine that the eSafety commissioner has said would be levied against X, because of the way in which they’ve refused to take down graphic videos around last week’s attacks,” he said.

“And can I say this: Australia is not going to be bullied by Elon Musk, or any other tech billionaire, in our commitment to making sure that social media is a safe space. So if he wants to fight that fine in court, well, we’re up for that fight.”

Meanwhile, the centre-right Shadow Foreign Minister Simon Birmingham said Mr. Musk’s argument on censorship is “completely ridiculous.”

Senator Birmingham argued the standards we expect in everyday life and other forms of media, should be applied to the online world as well.

“The idea that it is censorship to say that imagery of a terrorist attack, of a stabbing incident should not be able to be broadcast in an unfiltered way for all to see—children to access and otherwise—is an insulting and offensive argument.”

The prime minister meanwhile, said he found it “extraordinary X chose not to comply.”

“We know, I think overwhelmingly, Australians want misinformation and disinformation to stop. This isn’t about freedom of expression,” Mr. Albanese told reporters.

“This is about the dangerous implications that can occur when things that are simply not true, that everyone knows is not true, are replicated and weaponised in order to cause division, and in this case, to promote negative statements.”

Mr. Albanese raised concerns about “misinformation” in the community in multiple interviews following the Bondi stabbing rampage and the alleged stabbing of a Christian bishop.

Six people were killed when a knife-wielding man Joel Cauchi attacked shoppers at the sprawling Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre on April 13.

In New Zealand, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has also recently put tech giants on notice to do more “to protect children.”

“I think they need to work much harder,” Mr. Luxon told a press conference in February.

“I expect those tech companies to be well-resourced in the trust and security spaces.”