eSafety states its inability to prevent Australians from seeing US execution live stream

Australia’s online safety regulator eSafety says it does not have the powers to “proactively prevent” the live stream of a firing squad execution in the United States from being shown in Australia, but argues platforms have a responsibility to protect users from harmful content.

Last week, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, convicted of killing 13 people at a military base in Texas in 2009, would be available for the public to watch. Across the political divide in Canberra there has been widespread concern about Australians seeing the December 3 live stream.

The federal government said Australians “rightly expect” the content would not appear on their screens, and platforms have a responsibility to meet those expectations. Media Lecturer at Swinburne University Dr Belinda Barnet believed the most the eSafety commissioner could do was issue take down notices, like was done in the case of a Sydney church stabbing in 2024.

“While eSafety does not have powers to proactively prevent a live stream from occurring online, online services have responsibilities under Australia’s online safety regulatory framework to protect users from harmful material,” a spokesperson said. Experts agreed eSafety’s power was more geared towards being able to take down content rather than pre-emptively blocking it.