Survivor attacked online after bloodied image posted on X
Google Australia manager Rachel Lord testified Tuesday before a government inquiry into the spread of antisemitism in Australia, facing questions about a YouTube video that the platform allowed to remain online despite its false claim that a survivor of the December Sydney Hanukkah massacre was a crisis actor.
The survivor, Arsen Ostrovsky, was the subject of the video, which described him as a “crisis actor blooded with makeup.” Two hours after Ostrovsky was shot during the attack, an image of his head with blood streaming from a wound was posted on X, leading to further online harassment, according to testimony.
Lord said the decision to keep the video on YouTube had been reviewed at “quite senior levels” within the company.
“We have spent a lot of time thinking about where we draw the line and we continue to re-evaluate where we are doing that,” Lord said.
The attack on a Hanukkah celebration carried out by two gunmen in Sydney in December 2024 killed 15 people. The inquiry into antisemitism in Australia was established following the attack and has been examining the role of online platforms in spreading hateful content.
The video’s false claims about Ostrovsky, a survivor of the massacre, drew a complaint that led to the questioning of Lord. The platform’s decision to keep the video online has drawn scrutiny from advocates and lawmakers concerned about the spread of misinformation targeting victims of violence.
Lord’s testimony underscores the ongoing debate over how tech companies draw the line between free expression and harmful content, particularly in the context of mass casualty events where false narratives can compound the trauma of survivors.