• Australia’s eSafety Commission fined Telegram A$1 million ($640,000) for delaying its response to inquiries on child abuse and extremist content.
  • Telegram submitted its response in October 2024, months after the May deadline, which the regulator said obstructed online safety enforcement.

Australia’s online safety regulator has fined messaging platform Telegram approximately A$1 million ($640,000) for failing to respond in a timely manner to inquiries regarding its measures to prevent the spread of child abuse material and violent extremist content.

The eSafety Commission had requested information from multiple social media platforms, including YouTube, X, Facebook, Telegram, and Reddit, in March 2024. The inquiry focused on their efforts to curb the use of live-streaming, recommendation algorithms, and other platform features by extremists for recruitment and content dissemination.

While Telegram and Reddit were specifically asked to provide details on their approach to combating child sexual abuse material, Telegram only submitted its response in October—several months past the May deadline.

"Timely transparency is not a voluntary requirement in Australia and this action reinforces the importance of all companies complying with Australian law," said eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant.

She emphasized that Telegram’s delay hindered the regulator’s ability to enforce online safety measures.

Telegram, however, pushed back against the fine, stating that it had fully responded to all of eSafety’s questions last year and that no issues remained outstanding.

"The unfair and disproportionate penalty concerns only the response time frame, and we intend to appeal," the company said in an email.

The case highlights broader concerns regarding online extremism, as Australia's intelligence agency revealed in December that one in five priority counter-terrorism cases involved youth. Meanwhile, Telegram has faced increasing scrutiny globally, with its founder Pavel Durov placed under formal investigation in France last August over allegations that the platform was used for illegal activities.

If Telegram refuses to comply with the penalty notice, eSafety has stated that it will pursue a civil penalty through the courts.

Edited by Harshajit Sarmah