The country’s online safety commissioner says Twitter has become the most complained about platform. Twitter has 28 days to respond to the regulator or face potential fines of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Musk bought the firm last year for $44bn (A$64bn; £34.5bn) and promised to protect free speech on the platform.
According to Technology News UK, Julie Inman Grant said that a legal notice was sent to Twitter demanding an explanation after one-third of all complaints received about online hate concerned the platform. That is even though Twitter has far fewer users than TikTok, Facebook and Instagram. The company has been told to respond to the watchdog within 28 days or face penalties of up to A$700,000 (£371,570; $475,300) a day for continuing breaches.
“Twitter appears to have dropped the ball on tackling hate. We are also aware of reports that the reinstatement of some of these previously banned accounts has emboldened extreme polarisers, peddlers of outrage and hate, including neo-Nazis both in Australia and overseas,” Ms Inman Grant said.
The demand builds on a campaign by the regulator to make the social media company more accountable. Twitter did not provide a statement on the announcement when contacted by the BBC for comment.