Australia Sues Telegram for A$54.6M, Says Service Could Be Blocked Over 'Pro-Terror' Videos

Australia's online safety regulator has launched civil proceedings against messaging app Telegram, seeking penalties of up to A$54.6 million (about $38 million) and warning it could ask a court to order the service halted in Australia.

The Office of the eSafety Commissioner filed the action in the Federal Court after a year-long investigation. The regulator alleges Telegram repeatedly failed to remove known "pro-terror" material, citing as examples the live-streamed 2019 Christchurch mosque shooting and footage from the 2022 Buffalo supermarket attack — material it says remained accessible on the platform for months. The filing also contends Telegram's terms of service did not unequivocally prohibit pro-terror content across all parts of the app.

Regulator's Concerns

Julie Inman Grant, the eSafety Commissioner, told the BBC that Telegram had fostered a "permissive environment" in which extremist content was "very easy to find." She warned such content can "desensitise, normalise and sometimes radicalise" users, and said the platform has at times been used to plan attacks. Inman Grant noted Australia does not license online platforms but said regulators could "apply to the federal court and ask that the service be ceased," a power the agency has not previously used.

Background And Related Actions

In February of last year the regulator issued Telegram an infringement notice for nearly $1 million after the company reportedly delayed five months in responding to questions about terrorist and child sexual exploitation material. Telegram described that penalty as "unfair and disproportionate" and said it would appeal.

The Australian filing arrived shortly after Russia's FSB accused Telegram founder Pavel Durov of aiding terrorism and placed him on an international wanted list, alleging the platform failed to remove channels used by Ukrainian intelligence and extremist groups. Separately, French authorities indicted Durov in 2024 on charges including drug trafficking, organized fraud and hosting child sexual abuse material; he was released under judicial supervision and denies wrongdoing, calling the charges "legally and logically absurd."

Telegram's Response And Wider Implications

A Telegram spokesperson told the BBC the platform's "extensive" anti-terrorism efforts were "well documented" and said: "We reject these allegations and will contest them in court."

The case will test Australia’s 2021 law that requires platforms to remove pro-terror material. It also follows recent Australian policy changes, including a ban on social media use for children under 16 — a policy pushed by the eSafety Commissioner — highlighting growing regulatory scrutiny of global messaging services.