- Elon Musk's war of words with Australia is escalating after he called the government "fascists."
- The billionaire criticized Australia's new social media bill, which would see sites like X face fines over misinformation.
Elon Musk called the Australian government "fascists" in a one-word response to a post on X detailing the country's planned new social media regulation.
The legislation, which was introduced to the Australian parliament on Thursday, would see social media platforms face fines of up to 5% of their global revenue if they fail to prevent the spread of misinformation.
Musk's comment marks an escalation of his spat with Australia. The world's richest man has previously hit out at regulators in the country after they threatened to fine X for failing to remove posts concerning the stabbing of a bishop in Sydney.
It's the latest geopolitical fight Musk is facing, as the billionaire's social media platform X comes under increasing pressure worldwide.
X was suspended in Brazil last month following an order from Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes after a feud over content moderation concerns and free speech.
Musk has been feuding with the Brazilian judge online over the ban, posting AI-generated images of de Moraes and calling him a "tyrant" and a "dictator."
X, which has scaled back its content moderation since Musk bought it for $44 billion in 2022, has also been accused of stoking far-right riots in the UK.
The riots erupted following a series of fatal stabbings at a children's dance class, and Musk himself weighed in on the violence on X, suggesting "civil war is inevitable" in the UK and attacking British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The billionaire's posts were criticized by the British government, and one former Twitter executive suggested Musk should face arrest if he was found to have incited the riots.
Musk and the Australian government did not respond to a request for comment, made outside normal working hours.