Julie Inman Grant may be able to limit Australians seeing a livestreamed US execution – but it could start a diplomatic incident
News Source
•Mon, 12 Oct 2026 14:00:57 GMT
📰 What Happened
Australia's online safety regulator may be able to stop Australians from watching a planned livestream of a US execution. But history suggests doing so would spark a very public fight.
The US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, announced that the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan would be shown live when it takes place in early December. The Greens want the eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, and the government to keep it away from Australian screens.
Under the Online Safety Act, the commissioner can order platforms like Facebook, Instagram and X to block content that is 'refused classification' in Australia. Such orders often end up in court.
🔍 The Backstory
Nidal Hasan was an army psychiatrist who killed 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009. He was sentenced to death for the attack.
Inman Grant has clashed with tech giants and US politicians before. Some Trump-aligned figures have called her a 'zealot for global takedowns'. Trying to block a US military event could become a diplomatic problem.
The case raises a hard question: can one country police what its citizens see online when the event itself happens in another country?
🎯 Why It Matters
It tests how much power Australia really has over what appears on your phone, and whether online safety rules can reach across borders without creating a political showdown.
Australia's online safety regulator may be able to stop Australians from watching a planned livestream of a US execution. But history suggests doing so would spark a very public fight.
The US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, announced that the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan would be shown live when it takes place in early December. The Greens want the eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, and the government to keep it away from Australian screens.
Under the Online Safety Act, the commissioner can order platforms like Facebook, Instagram and X to block content that is 'refused classification' in Australia. Such orders often end up in court.
Nidal Hasan was an army psychiatrist who killed 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009. He was sentenced to death for the attack.
Inman Grant has clashed with tech giants and US politicians before. Some Trump-aligned figures have called her a 'zealot for global takedowns'. Trying to block a US military event could become a diplomatic problem.
The case raises a hard question: can one country police what its citizens see online when the event itself happens in another country?
It tests how much power Australia really has over what appears on your phone, and whether online safety rules can reach across borders without creating a political showdown.