Social media platforms ‘monetise gore and fringe content’, eSafety regulator tells antisemitism commission

Australia's eSafety commissioner told a government inquiry on antisemitism that social media platforms are actively competing to distribute and profit from harmful content. Julie Inman Grant testified that X, formerly Twitter, has been particularly resistant to removing dangerous material, including footage from violent incidents. Her office has had to push back against the platform's owner, Elon Musk, over requests to restrict such content. Inman Grant said mainstream platforms are "monetising gore and fringe content" rather than removing it, raising concerns about the relationship between platform profits and public safety—a key focus of the royal commission's investigation into social media's role in spreading antisemitism and harming social cohesion in Australia.

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