Australia's internet regulator said on Thursday it had begun legal action against messaging platform Telegram over alleged failings to tackle pro-terror posts.
The office of the eSafety Commissioner said it had begun legal action after Telegram failed to remove videos of terrorist executions and mass shootings.
"This case concerns content linked to some of the most notorious acts of known extremist violence in recent history, including material associated with the Christchurch and Buffalo terror attacks," eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said in a statement.
"We allege that this content remained accessible on the service long after Telegram had been put on notice," she said.
Failure to comply with Australia's codes and standards could result in civil penalties of up to A$54.6 million ($38 million), the statement said.
"We reject these allegations and will contest them in court," a spokesperson for Telegram said in response to a request for comment.
The company added that its anti-terrorism efforts were well documented, with thousands of extremist communities blocked by the platform in 2026 alone.
In a court filing, eSafety said Australian Telegram users reported 12 posts containing pro-terror content between July and October 2025, including three that contained known terrorist material.
The regulator alleged that Telegram failed to remove 10 of the posts or suspend or block the accounts that shared them.
Telegram is one of the world's most downloaded apps, with more than 1 billion monthly active users, according to the company.
The platform's founder, Russian-born Pavel Durov, left Russia in 2014 and moved himself and the company to Dubai in 2017.
Telegram has become a key source of information on Russia's war in Ukraine and is widely used by officials in Moscow and Kyiv.
Russia on Wednesday charged Durov with facilitating terrorist activity, alleging that the app was used by Ukrainian spies to organise attacks inside Russia.
Durov denies any wrongdoing.
An agreement between Iran and the U.S. to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is expected "soon," a U.S. official has said. The deal would result in the resum...
Typhoon Dolphin lashed Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture on Saturday, injuring six people, disrupting flights and leaving more than 50,000 buildin...
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan remarked upon progress made towards normalising relations between...
An agreement between Iran and the U.S. to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is expected "soon," a U.S. official has said. The deal would result in the resumption of commercial shipping through the sea passage and the lifting of an American naval blockade on Iranian ports.
U.S. President Donald Trump said negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz are progressing and suggested an agreement with Iran could be reached “soon”.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 8th of August, covering the latest developments.
U.S. President Donald Trump may have to accept concessions he previously opposed if he wants to secure a deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to analysts, as negotiators move closer to a temporary agreement.
A U.S. judge has ordered Meta to pay an additional $567 million over claims that its platforms failed to protect children from online harm.
Serbia will continue to support Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity while seeking closer economic cooperation between the two countries, President Aleksandar Vučić said on Saturday, stopping short of pledging sanctions against Belgrade’s long-time ally Russia.
One year after its launch, the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) has emerged as one of the most significant diplomatic and economic initiatives in the South Caucasus, linking peace efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan with expanding trade and regional connectivity.
A drone entered Bulgarian airspace from Romania on Saturday and exploded near the village of Kardam, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said, adding that there were no casualties or damage to infrastructure.
Russian drone strikes killed a three-year-old boy and his grandparents in a village in the Kyiv region, while another person was killed in an overnight ballistic missile attack on the Ukrainian capital, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday.
Typhoon Dolphin lashed Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture on Saturday, injuring six people, disrupting flights and leaving more than 50,000 buildings without power, as China shut ports and suspended transport services ahead of the storm’s expected arrival on its east coast.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment