Musk's X says Australia social media ban crackdown undermines international law

Elon Musk's X accused Australia of trying to give its internet regulator unfair information-gathering powers and undermining U.S. law with plans for tougher enforcement of a teen social media ban.



Australia's world-first law barring accounts for under-16s took effect last December, drawing criticism from social media companies, mostly based in the United States.



But the contention by X, whose parent company is Musk's just-listed SpaceX, amounts to one of the world's most powerful people injecting a geopolitical element into the debate.



The plans did not give "due regard to procedural fairness, privacy, the broader impacts on online services, and Australia's digital economy", X told an Australian senate committee.



In its submission published on Tuesday, X took aim at plans to give the eSafety Commissioner wider rights of document discovery and double a maximum fine to A$99 million ($69 million).



The changes would "compel any person outside Australia ... to provide information and documents merely because they are 'affiliated' with a company," X said, a move it described as being "in clear conflict" with international legal principles.