Overview
- Chair Jim Jordan asked Commissioner Julie Inman Grant to appear for a transcribed interview, calling her a “noted zealot for global takedowns” and labeling the Online Safety Act a “foreign censorship regime.”
- The letter cites eSafety’s 2024 clash with X over violent footage and argues the regulator sought global removal because Australians could use VPNs to evade geoblocks.
- eSafety says it now accepts geoblocking as a reasonable remedy and states it does not prevent American companies from showing content to Americans.
- The committee signals possible legislative reforms to shield US speech from foreign regulators, and any appearance by Inman Grant would likely occur by video link.
- eSafety says it is weighing the request against current obligations, including enforcement of Australia’s under-16 social media ban that begins Dec. 10.