The Australian Electronic Security Commission has filed a civil suit in the Federal Court, accusing Telegram of failing to properly handle terrorist and violent content on its platform. The case is proceeding under the Cyber Security Act, and if the court supports the regulator's claims, Telegram could face a maximum fine of AU$54.6 million.
Indictment filed after a year-long investigation
The regulator said the investigation began in March 2024 and lasted about a year. The eSafety Council stated that Telegram allowed some extreme violent content to remain searchable and accessible on its platform despite warnings.
Regulators stated that the content included videos of horrific executions, as well as footage of the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand and the 2022 Buffalo shootings in the United States. Some of this content remained on file for weeks after being reported, and certain videos were reportedly removed nearly three months after being uploaded.
The charges are not limited to a single video.
This lawsuit not only focuses on whether specific videos were taken down, but also touches on the platform's overall handling mechanism. Regulators say Telegram failed to proactively identify known terrorist content and failed to promptly remove accounts, channels, and groups associated with such content.
The Australian authorities also accused Telegram of failing to clearly prohibit terrorist content in its platform rules and of not informing users of the outcome of their complaints. Under Australia's Cyber Security Act, platforms are obligated not only to process complaints but also to notify complainants of the results.
Telegram says it will appear in court to defend itself.
Telegram denies the allegations. A company spokesperson stated that its counterterrorism measures are "extensive and well-documented," and that it will contest the case in court.
Regulators disclosed that Telegram has approximately 1.5 million monthly active users in Australia and over 1 billion users globally. Australian authorities believe that at this scale, any persistent content governance gaps on the platform would have consequences far beyond isolated content moderation errors.
Australia had previously fined Telegram.
This is not the first time Australia has taken action against Telegram for platform security issues. In February 2025, the Electronic Security Commission fined Telegram AU$1 million for failing to respond promptly to questions regarding child abuse and the handling of extreme content.
The regulator also stated that while Australia will not issue operating licenses to platforms like Telegram, authorities can apply to the Federal Court to cease the continued operation of such services in the country. This power has not been previously invoked, but the regulator has explicitly mentioned this possibility.
This case is now compounded by the recent pressure Telegram has faced in other jurisdictions. In addition to the Australian lawsuit, Telegram founder Pavel Durov has also recently faced investigations or charges in Russia and France regarding platform governance issues.
