The Australian online safety regulator has filed a legal case against the messaging app Telegram. It alleges the platform failed to remove extremist content, such as videos of white supremacist mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Christchurch, New Zealand, as well as ISIS beheading videos. Telegram, based in the United Arab Emirates, claims to have a billion users worldwide and faces a potential fine of up to 54.6 million Australian dollars (38 million dollars) if found guilty in Australia’s Federal Court. The charge relates to an ‘alleged failure to detect and remove material promoting terrorism,’ according to eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant.
This legal action tests the 2021 Australian law mandating tech platforms to keep illegal and terrorist-promoting material off their networks. Telegram has denied the accusations. ‘We reject these allegations and will contest them in court,’ said a Telegram spokesperson in a statement. The regulator insists that the app must take responsibility for content shared on group chats with up to 200 people and channels with unlimited audience reach.
‘This case concerns content linked to some of the most notorious acts of extremist violence in recent history, including material associated with the Christchurch and Buffalo terrorist attacks,’ said Inman Grant in a statement. She pointed out that the content remained accessible long after Telegram had been notified. The cited crimes involve ideologically driven massacres intended for online audiences. Years later, the digital traces of these massacres continue to evade regulators, who worry these videos and so-called manifestos can radicalize others. In 2022, a white supremacist from the U.S. live-streamed part of a supermarket shooting in Buffalo on Twitch, killing 10 Black individuals. He cited the actions of a white supremacist from Australia who attacked two mosques in Christchurch, killing 51 Muslims, livestreaming on Facebook in 2019.
Telegram channels created after these incidents and other hate-driven crimes have been flooded with users supporting the attackers and sharing massacre-related content. The Australian regulator’s lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in federal court, argues that the limitless dissemination capability of Telegram channels means the app must take steps to clear harmful material.
In response, Telegram asserts its commitment to blocking ‘terror-related communities.’ A statement from the messaging platform stated its ‘extensive anti-terrorism efforts’ are ‘well-documented,’ including a link to statistics on blocked content and channels. According to the data, more than 150,000 ‘terror-related communities’ have been blocked on the platform this year.
Inman Grant explained that eSafety began urging Telegram to adhere to its own policies in March 2024, but the platform left regulators ‘without a response’ for months. This stance reportedly shifted after France arrested Telegram’s founder and CEO, Russian billionaire Pavel Durov, in August 2024, on accusations of his platform facilitating illegal activities, including drug trafficking and the distribution of child sexual abuse images. He was released after four days of questioning on a 5 million euro (5.7 million-dollar) bail.
‘Telegram initially became more compliant with us and other regulators after France took action against the company,’ Inman Grant noted. She added, ‘However, they have continued to maintain a permissive environment for terrorist content.’ The Australian lawsuit is also connected to ISIS beheadings and other ‘gruesome material used for propaganda and radicalization,’ she said. ‘When platforms are alerted about terrorist content, they need to act,’ she asserted.
On Wednesday, Russia’s Federal Security Service accused Durov of aiding what it labeled as terrorist activities and indicated plans to add his name to international search lists.
Telegram’s statement to The Associated Press on Thursday emphasized the app’s dedication to protecting user privacy and human rights, including freedom of speech and assembly. Telegram has played a significant role in pro-democracy movements worldwide, including in Iran, Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, and Hong Kong.