Elon Musk’s X wins appeal to lift block on Australians seeing Charlie Kirk shooting footage

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 1 min read 100% complete by Josh Taylor Technology reporterDecember 17, 2025 at 04:33 AM

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Elon Musk's social media platform X successfully appealed a decision to block Australians from viewing footage of the shooting of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. The Australian eSafety commissioner had sought to classify the video, taken at Utah Valley University on September 10th, as "refused classification" following Kirk's death. This classification would have allowed the commissioner to order social media platforms to geo-block the video for Australian users. X argued that the video was not excessively offensive and served as an objective record of a public event with historical and political significance. The Australian classification review board ultimately overturned the initial decision, lifting the ban on the footage.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Utah Valley University 40% Charlie Kirk 70% Elon Musk ×280% X (social media platform) ×280%

Keywords

x (formerly twitter) 90% appeal 90% shooting footage 90% content moderation 80% esafety commissioner 80% classification review board 70% social media 70% free speech 60% geo-block 60% public event 50%