Overview
- Jim Jordan’s November 18 letter invited eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant to a transcribed interview by 10 a.m. ET on December 2 and branded her a “noted zealot for global takedowns.”
- Jordan said on November 21 that foreign governments should not dictate U.S. First Amendment rights and called geoblocking a step forward while warning that verification requirements could chill speech.
- eSafety says it accepts geoblocking as a reasonable response to removal notices and maintains it does not prevent American companies from displaying content to U.S. users.
- The committee cited eSafety’s 2024 bid to force X to remove Sydney stabbing footage, a case later dropped, and pointed to Inman Grant’s Stanford appearance as alleged collusion; any appearance would be voluntary because Congress cannot compel foreign citizens.
- Attention now turns to December 10, when eSafety is set to enforce Australia’s under‑16 social media ban under the Online Safety Act.