Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has commenced civil penalty proceedings against Telegram in the Federal Court, alleging the messaging platform failed to take reasonable steps to detect and remove publicly accessible pro-terror material, including videos linked to terrorist executions and mass shootings.
The regulator alleges Telegram breached its obligations under the Relevant Electronic Services Standard of the Online Safety Act by allowing extremist content to remain available after being placed on notice. If the Federal Court finds Telegram in breach, the company could face civil penalties of up to A$54.6 million (roughly $38.29 million). The proceedings follow a year-long investigation into whether Telegram complied with Australia’s online safety requirements for preventing the spread of harmful and unlawful material.
eSafety Says Extremist Content Remained Online After Notice
Australia’s Online Safety Act requires online services covered by the Relevant Electronic Services Standard to implement systems that prevent, detect, deter, and disrupt the spread of unlawful material, including child sexual exploitation and abuse material, pro-terror content, and extreme crime and violence.
According to eSafety, Telegram failed to meet those systemic obligations by allowing publicly available pro-terror material to remain on the platform after the regulator had alerted the company. eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the continued availability of extremist material online risks normalising violent extremism, exposing Australians to harmful content, and facilitating the recruitment and radicalisation of vulnerable individuals.
“This case concerns content linked to some of the most notorious acts of known extremist violence in recent history, including material associated with the Christchurch and Buffalo terror attacks. We allege that this content remained accessible on the service long after Telegram had been put on notice,” Inman Grant said.
Grant added that the proceedings come as Australia continues to face an elevated terrorism threat, making it more important for digital platforms to comply with their legal obligations to limit the spread of extremist material.
Telegram Faces Potential A$54.6 Million Penalty
The case marks one of Australia’s most significant enforcement actions under the Online Safety Act, testing whether digital platforms have adequate systems in place to identify and limit the spread of extremist content. The Federal Court will determine whether Telegram’s moderation practices complied with the Relevant Electronic Services Standard and whether the regulator has established grounds for civil penalties.
The case reflects Australia’s broader push to hold digital platforms accountable for the systems they use to detect and remove unlawful content, with regulators increasingly examining whether companies have effective moderation processes instead of focusing solely on individual posts. Telegram said it intends to contest the allegations, maintaining that it removes illegal content when identified and continues to strengthen its moderation practices.
The Australian proceedings also come as Telegram faces legal scrutiny in other jurisdictions, although those matters are separate from Australia’s civil enforcement action. In Russia, authorities have escalated their case against founder Pavel Durov over alleged terrorism-related offenses, while Durov remains under investigation in France following his August 2024 arrest. The Federal Court will now determine whether Telegram complied with its obligations under Australia’s Online Safety Act and whether the regulator has established grounds for imposing the proposed civil penalties.