Marco Rubio is calling on foreign countries to end their online censorship practices against U.S. companies in an effort to preserve ‘free expression.’
It comes as the Australian government is embroiled in a legal battle with Elon Musk’s X social media platform and an advocate against transgender treatments for minors.
The government there sought to censor the online activity of an American company and one of its users.
It placed a geo-based ban on those in the country viewing an X post because the user known as ‘Billboard Chris’ used the biological pronouns of a transgender individual and Australian citizen.
‘I think what this does is put some pressure on the Australian government, because nobody likes to have the United States Government cracking down on them,’ Chris Elston told the Daily Mail when asked about the State Department weighing in on the fight.
Last week the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, & Labor (DRL) called out Australia, the European Union, and Turkey for their recent actions suppressing online activity related to political speech, gender ideology and peaceful protests.
Lawyers for X and Elston, who is Canadian, legally challenged the takedown order by the Australian government’s eSafety Commission and appeared last month for a five-day hearing at an administrative review tribunal in Melbourne.
While the panel originally created to take down nude images of minors can control what people in Australia publish and see online, they are also allegedly seeking to police the online activity of the world when it relates to anything posted about Australians.
An activist known as Billboard Chris (right) who advocates against transgender treatment for minors is embroiled in an Australian push to censor his content on the American social media company X
Last year, Chris Elston reposted a Daily Mail article that brought to light some questionable online activity of an Australian transgender member of a World Health Organization task force
The post was geo-blocked from being viewed in Australia and X was sent a take down order by the country’s eSafety Commission, which the platform is now fighting in Australian court
If someone tries to look at the post Elston made over a year ago, they will instead receive the message: ‘This post from @BillboardChris has been withheld in Australia in response to a legal demand.’
The U.S. has said that the way other countries treat American companies could affect trade relationships – and Trump has already threatened or implemented mass tariff policies nationwide.
‘They’ve made freedom of speech a critical component of their entire campaign and how they manage when they want other countries to do the same, it’s a big issue for the Trump administration,’ Elston told the Daily Mail.
He added: ‘So they’re not going to be happy that other countries are doing petty censorship about people on the other side of the world.’
The DRL Bureau wrote in a statement on its X account on May 1: ‘The Department of State is deeply concerned about efforts by governments to coerce American tech companies into targeting individuals for censorship.’
‘Freedom of expression must be protected – online and offline,’ the statement added. ‘Examples of this conduct are troublingly numerous.’
‘EU Commissioner Thierry Breton threatened X for hosting political speech; Türkiye fined Meta for refusing to restrict content about protests; and Australia required X to remove a post criticizing an individual for promoting gender ideology,’ according to the statement.
‘Even when content may be objectionable, censorship undermines democracy, suppresses political opponents, and degrades public safety. The United States opposes efforts to undermine freedom of expression.’
‘As [Secretary Marco Rubio] said, our diplomacy will continue to place an emphasis on promoting fundamental freedoms,’ it concluded.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is calling on foreign nations to cease any censorship and suppression of free speech and expression when it comes to U.S. companies
The State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, & Labor (DRL) on Mday 1, 2025 called out Australia, the European Union and Turkey for their recent actions suppressing online activity related to political speech, gender ideology and peaceful protests of U.S. companies
The whole saga with Australia started last year when Elston reposted a Daily Mail article about an Australian transgender member of the United Nations trans health panel under the World Health Organization.
This included posting images of Teddy Cook practicing public nudity and attending bondage parties and trans orgies.
Cook filed a complaint with Australia’s eSafety Commission against news outlets that published the images.
Elston reposted the article with the caption: ‘This woman (yes, she’s female) is part of a panel of 20 ‘experts’ hired by the @WHO to draft their policy on caring for ‘trans people.’
‘People who belong in psychiatric wards are writing the guidelines for people who belong in psychiatric wards,’ he added in the X post from February 2024.
Australia took issue with the fact that he reposted an article that ‘doxxed’ where one of its citizens worked as well as the images, and the fact that the post ‘misgendered’ the transgender WHO panel member.
Elston detailed how lawyers with X informed him of Australia’s take down notice.
Elston, a Canadian citizen, has gone viral for holding signs in public spaces with messages slamming gender ideology and the implementation of transgender treatments on minors. He told Daily Mail he was fined in Australia for the same actions he takes in other parts of the world
The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) came forward to represent Elston in his defense in Australia.
‘Everyone has the right to speak the truth online – especially when discussing significant societal debates,’ ADF International legal counsel Robert Clarke told the Daily Mail.
‘Australian authorities have significantly overreached by attempting to silence a Canadian campaigner on a U.S. social media platform,’ he added.
‘We’re delighted to stand by Chris as he fights his legal battle against censorship, and welcome the State Department’s affirmation that Australia, like all governments, must uphold free speech.’
The Australian eSafety Commissioner defended the decision to censor Elston in a tribunal last month by claiming his use of biological pronounce was ‘intended to have an effect of causing serious harm’
In his testimony before the tribunal, Elston said: ‘It’s damaging to teach children they are born in the wrong body…children are beautiful just as they are. No drugs or scalpels needed.’
