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.
The U.S. military said it completed its latest wave of strikes on Iran, a two-hour operation that hit dozens of targets. Washington described the stri...
The Chinese fast-fashion brand Shein made its way onto Paris racks at one of the most iconic department stores, BHV....
What began as a fight against a resort project in Albania has turned into a rallying cry against the government....
French DJ and electropop musician Kavinsky, whose atmospheric sound shaped a generation of electronic music fans, has died at the age of 50, French authorities said on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia said its overnight strikes on Iran-backed group targets in Iraq were carried out in self-defence and warned it would take further military action if the groups launched new attacks against the kingdom.
Yemen warned the Houthis were seeking to replicate Iran's Strait of Hormuz strategy in the Red Sea, as U.S. President Donald Trump said there was a "good chance" of a deal with Tehran but warned strikes could resume if talks failed.
Moscow should stop linking Russia-Armenia relations to Azerbaijan, Baku's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada has said, after Russia again raised the Collective Security Treaty Organisation's role during the former Garabagh conflict.
A fire involving two gas vessels at Egypt's Damietta port has prompted conflicting reports over whether the incident was caused by a drone strike or an onboard technical fault. Egyptian authorities said there were no casualties.
Residents across southern Japan are struggling with disrupted water and electricity supplies two days after a powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 30th of July, covering the latest developments.
Russian air strikes killed at least 13 in Ukraine on Thursday, including one in Kyiv, in attacks extending as far as the western city of Lviv, forcing neighbouring Poland to scramble fighter jets to secure its airspace.
Prince Harry, Sir Elton John and five other high-profile claimants could face a legal bill of up to $46 million after losing their privacy lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail, London's High Court heard on Wednesday.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has given the organisation's 211 member associations until 19 September to approve a private investment proposal that could significantly increase funding for national football federations.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment