Telegram is facing a possible AU$54.6 million ($38 million, €33 million) fine in Australia as a regulator said on Thursday the messaging platform failed to remove terrorist content despite warnings.
What are the accusations against Telegram in Australia?
Australia’s online safety regulator, the eSafety Commissioner, said it had begun action after videos of terrorist executions, mass shootings and other extremist material linked to attacks including the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings and the 2022 Buffalo supermarket shooting continued to exist on Telegram.
“We allege that this content remained accessible on the service long after Telegram had been put on notice,” eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said in a statement.
The regulator said Telegram failed to remove pro-terror content between July and October 2025 or suspend the accounts responsible, despite users reporting the content and its disseminators.
“This action comes at a time when Australia is experiencing a heightened security environment against the fresh backdrop of the Bondi tragedy,” Grant said, a reference to an antisemitic mass shooting at a Sydney beach that killed 15 people last year.
Telegram denied the allegations and said it would contest the case in court, adding that it had blocked thousands of extremist communities in 2026.
Russia charges Telegram founder Durov with aiding terrorism
The court action comes a day after Russia charged Telegram’s billionaire founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorist activity.
Russia’s Federal Security Service issued an international warrant for his arrest, alleging the platform was used by Ukrainian operatives to organize attacks inside Russia.
Soon after the news of the warrant broke, Telegram’s account on X posted a picture of Durov giving a middle finger to the camera.
The Russian-born billionaire Durov, now based in Dubai, built the Telegram messaging app with his brother Nikolai and launched it in 2013. The platform currently boasts over a billion monthly active users. (DW)
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