Australia's online safety regulator has taken Telegram to the Federal Court, accusing it of failing to promptly identify and remove terrorist content and seeking a fine of up to AU$54.6 million, or approximately US$38 million. The regulator also stated that it could theoretically petition the court to halt the service's operations in Australia.

Regulatory allegations

Regulators say Telegram has failed to effectively handle known “terrorism-related material” after a year-long investigation. This includes livestream content from the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings and the 2022 Buffalo supermarket attack. This content reportedly remained on the platform for nearly three months.

Platform compliance questioned

Julie Inman Grant, Australia's eSafety Commissioner, stated that Telegram has long maintained an environment that is "too lenient" towards extreme content. She said such content is "easily found" and could gradually desensitize, normalize, or even further escalate users.

Telegram denied the allegations, stating that its counterterrorism measures are "well-documented" and that it will take the case to court. The company had previously been fined in Australia for delaying responses to related investigative questions.

The case extends to the founder

This lawsuit comes as Telegram founder Pavel Durov is also facing other legal disputes in Russia and France. The action in Australia is also seen as a test of the country's 2021 platform anti-terrorism content law.