Australian regulator says Telegram breached online safety law
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The country’s internet regulator said Telegram had failed to remove videos of terrorist executions and mass shootings.
PHOTO: REUTERS
SYDNEY – Australia’s cyber safety watchdog took court action on July 30 against Telegram, alleging the global messaging platform had failed to remove terrorism material.
Under Australia’s online safety law, Telegram faces a maximum penalty of up to A$54.6 million (S$50 million) for failing to take timely action after Australian users reported 10 items of pro-terror and violent material.
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said on July 30 the watchdog would allege Telegram had failed to remove pro-terror material, such as videos of terrorist executions and mass shootings, including “some of the most notorious acts of known extremist violence in recent history”, despite being put on notice.
This included content linked to the live-streamed 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings and a 2022 mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, she added.
“When platforms are alerted to terrorist content, they must act,” she said at a press conference in Sydney.
“This action comes at a time when Australia is experiencing a heightened security environment against the fresh backdrop of the Bondi tragedy,” she said, a reference to an anti-Semitic mass shooting at a Sydney beach that killed 15 people in 2025.
Telegram, registered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is a major global platform visited by Australians 1.5 million times a month, the regulator said.
Court documents lodged by the eSafety Commissioner said Australian users had flagged 12 instances of such material between Sept 27 and Oct 5, 2025.
Ten items had not been removed at least 20 days later, showing Telegram had breached Australia’s online safety rules by failing to investigate and take “timely action”, the court statement said.
As at July 29, the Australian users had not received any response from Telegram, it said.
Telegram rejected the allegations.
“Telegram’s efforts in the fight against terrorism are well documented. We reject these accusations and will challenge them in court,” the company said in a statement.
The development comes a day after Russia announced it was seeking the arrest of Telegram’s founder and chief executive Pavel Durov, alleging his “complicity in terrorism”.
Durov, who holds French and UAE passports, was accused of allowing the platform to be used for recruitment by Ukraine’s security services.
The 41-year-old has lived in both Dubai and France. In 2024, he was arrested by French police on charges related to the distribution of illegal content, but was later released on bail.
He left France after the authorities there lifted a travel ban. AFP
