Australia Sues Telegram Over Alleged Failure to Remove Extremist Content
Australia’s online safety regulator has launched legal action against Telegram, accusing the messaging platform of failing to remove extremist content, including footage of the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks, despite repeated warnings.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant announced the court action on Tuesday, alleging that Telegram had failed to meet its obligations under Australia’s Online Safety Act. If found in breach, the platform could face penalties of up to A$54.6 million (about £28 million or US$38 million).
According to Inman-Grant, Telegram allowed content “linked to some of the most notorious acts of known extremist violence in recent history” to remain accessible even after the company had been notified.
“This should concern all of us,” she said, adding that “no platform is above the law.”
The legal action comes just a day after Russian authorities charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorism, alleging that the messaging service had been used by Ukrainian intelligence agencies for recruitment activities.
Durov is also facing an ongoing investigation in France after being arrested in 2024 over allegations that Telegram failed to adequately moderate content linked to criminal activity. Although he was later allowed to return home, the French investigation remains active.
Inman-Grant said Australia’s eSafety office first contacted Telegram in March 2024 to seek information about its efforts to combat terrorist and extremist content but experienced “five very difficult months of unresponsiveness.”
While the company eventually began cooperating with regulators, she alleged that the platform continued to maintain a “permissive environment” where extremist material remained “very easy to find.”
She warned that such content “only serves to desensitise, to normalise and to sometimes radicalise” users and further alleged that the platform was “sometimes used to plan attacks.”
Responding to the allegations, a Telegram spokesperson defended the company’s moderation practices, saying its “extensive” efforts to combat terrorism were “well documented.” The spokesperson added, “We reject these allegations and will contest them in court.”
The regulator said content allegedly available on Telegram included footage of the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings, the 2022 mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, and videos depicting terrorist executions.
Referring to the “painful aftermath” of the recent attack on a Jewish festival in Bondi, Inman-Grant said “it is more important than ever that digital platforms meet their obligations to protect the community.”
Although Australia does not license online platforms such as Telegram, the commissioner noted that authorities have the power to seek a court order to suspend access to the service if necessary.
“We could apply to the federal court and ask that the service be ceased,” she said, while adding, “We’ve never used those powers. We’ll see how this all plays out and whether that kind of action is warranted.”
Telegram has previously faced regulatory action in Australia. In February 2025, the platform was fined A$1 million for failing to respond within the required timeframe to questions from the eSafety regulator regarding its handling of child exploitation and extremist content.
