Australia is taking Telegram to court over the Telegram case that centers on alleged failures to remove pro-terror material, including video tied to the Christchurch shootings, the country’s eSafety commissioner said. Julie Inman-Grant said the platform may face a fine of up to A$54.6 million for allegedly failing to meet its safety duties under the Online Safety Act.
Inman-Grant said the company left material online that was linked to some of the most notorious extremist attacks in recent history, even after it had been warned. She said the platform had created a permissive space where extremist posts were easy to find, and argued that such content can desensitise users, normalise violence, and in some cases radicalise them. She also alleged that Telegram was sometimes used to plan attacks.
The commissioner said the agency started asking Telegram in March 2024 what it was doing to combat terrorist and extremist content, but said the company was unresponsive for five difficult months before it began engaging. She said Australians should be concerned by the issue and added that no platform is above the law. Telegram rejected the allegations and said it would fight the case in court. A spokesperson said the company’s anti-terror measures were extensive and well documented.
Inman-Grant said the material at issue included video of the 2019 Christchurch mosque attack, footage tied to the Buffalo shooting in New York in May 2022, and videos of terrorist executions. She said the case comes at a sensitive time for Australia, with the painful aftermath of the attack on a Jewish festival in Bondi in December still fresh in public memory. In her view, digital platforms now have a greater duty than ever to protect the community.
