Australian regulators have taken Telegram to court after the platform allegedly left extremist posts—including footage of the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings—on its servers for months.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman‑Grant warned that the messenger app could face a penalty of up to A$54.6 million for breaching the Online Safety Act, after Telegram failed to act on notices of extremist content, including video of the Christchurch attack and other extremist footage.
The action comes amid a global backlash against Telegram, as the Russian government recently charged founder Pavel Durov for facilitating terrorism, and a French investigation has called into the company's moderation practices.
Inman‑Grant said the regulator began inquiring into Telegram’s moderation in March 2024, received delayed responses, and then found the platform still hosting extremist material, which she argued could desensitise and normalise extremist ideologies and even facilitate future attacks.
Telegram has denied claims of inadequate moderation and has stated it has taken steps to cooperate with law‑enforcement, while its founder has denied allegations of failing to moderate the app.
The regulator previously fined Telegram A$1 million in February 2025 for failing to respond timely to questions about child‑abuse and extremist content on the platform.
