‘Noted zealot’: eSafety Commissioner called to testify before US Congress

Esafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant has been called to testify before the US Congress over Australia’s Online Safety Act, with a Republican lawmaker labelling her a “noted zealot for global takedowns” and an enemy of American free speech.

Inman Grant has been given less than two weeks’ notice to testify before the committee, with a spokesperson from her office saying she is considering her options. The letter, delivered exactly three weeks before the government’s world-first under-16 social media ban is set to come into effect, featured accusations that the commissioner had “colluded with pro-censorship entities”.

E-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“As the Australian eSafety Commissioner, you are the official primarily responsible for enforcing Aus