WHAT WAS CLAIMED
The eSafety commissioner has issued a directive banning social media posts about Netflix and climate change.
OUR VERDICT
False. The regulator has not issued any such directive.
AAP FACTCHECK - Australia's internet safety watchdog hasn't threatened to ban social media posts about Netflix or climate change because they're "hate speech", despite false claims online.
There is no evidence of any such directive and the eSafety Commissioner's office told AAP FactCheck the claims are false.
The claims appear to originate from an X account that AAP FactCheck has debunked previously.
The claim appears in a Facebook post that features an image of eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant.
"BREAKING: E Safety Commisar issues a new directive," the caption reads.
"Any X posts encouraging cancellation of Netflix subscriptions are now banned and will be considered hate speech."
Commissioner Julie Inman Grant's role includes investigating and acting on reports of online harm, such as cyberbullying and child sexual abuse, and providing advice and tools to keep Australians safe online.
She also has the power to issue notices requiring platforms to remove harmful content that breaches Australian law.
A spokesperson for the commissioner's office says the claims are false.
"eSafety has not and would not undertake removal action in relation to material of the nature mentioned," a spokesperson told AAP FactCheck.
They clarified that eSafety may only seek the removal of serious online abuse targeting an Australian individual, rather than a group such as a religious community, and only in response to a valid complaint that meets specific thresholds under the Online Safety Act.
"The Act is intended to protect Australians from serious online harms. It has no role in regulating commentary, defamation, hurt feelings or trivial memes or disputes," the spokesperson said.
The claim likely references X owner Elon Musk's calls for a Netflix boycott over a transgender character appearing in its cartoon series Dead End: Paranormal Park, as reported by The Guardian.
The 2022 show was cancelled by Netflix in 2023. Musk regularly reshared X posts claiming the streaming service is spreading "transgender propaganda".
In other X posts, the same account claims the eSafety Commissioner said: "Images showing no changes in sea levels over the last 50 years are now banned and will be considered hate speech".
The posts are also being shared on Facebook.
There is no detail given in the posts to back up the claims nor do any credible media reports confirm the commissioner made these comments.
The same X account has made many other claims about the eSafety Commissioner, several of which AAP FactCheck has previously debunked, along with similar claims from other X users.
The account has repeated the false claim about sea level photos being "censored" in several X posts.
In 2024, the commissioner did order Elon Musk's X to remove several videos of a Sydney bishop being stabbed, Reuters reported.
However, eSafety later abandoned that effort, the ABC reported.
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