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Australia Sues Telegram Over Alleged Failure To Remove Pro-Terror Content
Australia’s internet regulator has begun legal action against Telegram, alleging the messaging platform failed to remove content promoting terrorism despite being notified about the material.
The Office of the eSafety Commissioner said on Thursday that the case centres on Telegram’s alleged failure to take down 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.”
The regulator said companies that fail to comply with Australia’s online safety codes and standards could face civil penalties of up to A$54.6 million (US$38 million).
Telegram rejected the allegations.
“We reject these allegations and will contest them in court,” a spokesperson for the company said.
The spokesperson added that Telegram’s anti-terrorism efforts were well documented, saying thousands of extremist communities had been blocked by the platform in 2026 alone.
According to court filings, Australian Telegram users reported 12 posts containing alleged pro-terror content between July and October 2025, including three posts containing known terrorist material.
The regulator alleged Telegram failed to remove 10 of the posts or suspend or block the accounts responsible for publishing them.
Telegram said it has more than one billion monthly active users worldwide.
The platform was founded by Russian-born Pavel Durov, who left Russia in 2014 before relocating himself and the company to Dubai in 2017.
Telegram has become a major source of information on Russia’s war in Ukraine and is widely used by officials in both Moscow and Kyiv.
The legal action comes a day after Russia charged Durov with facilitating terrorist activity, alleging that Telegram was being used by Ukrainian spies to organise attacks inside Russia.
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