Australia sues Telegram over alleged failures to remove terror content
Australia's online safety regulator has launched legal action against Telegram, accusing the messaging platform of violating the country's online safety laws. Authorities allege the company failed to remove terrorist content even after receiving user reports.
The proceedings were initiated by Australia's eSafety Commissioner, which filed a civil case in the Federal Court. The regulator argues that Telegram breached the Online Safety Act by failing to take adequate measures against extremist content.
If found liable, the company could face penalties of up to A$54.6 million (approximately $35.8 million).
Regulator alleges repeated violations
According to eSafety, the investigation lasted about a year. The regulator claims Telegram failed to remove some illegal material even after becoming aware of its existence. In certain cases, the content allegedly remained accessible for up to three weeks.
Authorities also allege the platform failed to take sufficient steps to prevent repeat violations, including suspending accounts, channels, and groups that distributed terrorist content.
In addition, eSafety claims Telegram did not promptly detect and remove previously identified extremist videos, including footage of the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks and the 2022 mass shooting in Buffalo, New York.
At the time of publication, Telegram had not officially commented on the lawsuit. However, the company's official X account posted a video carrying the caption "Freedom of expression."
Pressure on Telegram continues to mount
Australia's lawsuit comes a day after Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) announced criminal proceedings against Telegram founder Pavel Durov and began the process of placing him on an international wanted list.
Russian authorities allege Telegram failed to remove channels, chats, and bots used by Ukrainian intelligence services, terrorist and extremist organizations to coordinate attacks, recruit participants, and conduct cyber fraud.
Meanwhile, the investigation in France remains ongoing. After Durov was detained at Le Bourget Airport in August 2024, French prosecutors brought charges alleging he facilitated the distribution of illegal content through Telegram.
The entrepreneur has repeatedly criticized tighter regulation of online platforms. In October 2025, he argued that governments were gradually abandoning the principles of a free internet by turning content moderation into a tool of mass surveillance.
Earlier, Pavel Durov announced that Telegram would launch its native non-custodial Gram crypto wallet this summer. According to him, the service could eventually become available to more than 1 billion active Telegram users.
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