Online watchdog takes Telegram to court over terrorism videos

Australia's online watchdog has launched Federal Court proceedings against messaging platform Telegram, accusing the company of failing to remove terrorist and violent extremist content from its service despite repeated warnings.The Office of the eSafety Commissioner will allege Telegram neglected its legal obligations when it allowed videos, including of the Christchurch mosque massacre and a shooting at a supermarket in the US, to remain on the platform. "We have alleged that Telegram has failed to detect, deter and disrupt pro-terror material," eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant said. "[They] have failed to remove pro-terror material after becoming aware of it, including after reports from Australian end users were made." The alleged content includes Islamic State beheadings and executions, and "other horrific material" used for radicalisation. Ms Inman Grant said the material remained online "long after" the platform had been notified of its existence by users, sometimes up to three months after the reports were made. She said it was "more important than ever" that platforms met their obligations, with the backdrop of the Bondi terror attack last year and a "heightened security environment" in Australia. The case marks one of Australia's most significant legal challenges against a major technology platform over the handling of terrorist content, testing how far online services must go to prevent extremist material from spreading on their networks.More than 1 billion people use Telegram around the world, and the site is visited by an average of 1.5 million Australian users a month.Telegram is used by 1.5 million Australians each month. (Reuters: Illustration by Dado Ruvic)Court challenge comes after 'difficult' engagementThe court proceedings followed a year-long investigation into the platform. Ms Inman Grant said the watchdog first sought to engage with the company in March 2024, but after that endured "five very difficult months of non-responsiveness" before the platform finally engaged.If the Federal Court finds Telegram failed to meet its legal obligations under the Online Safety Act, the company could face penalties of up to $54.6 million.Communications Minister Anika Wells said the government had "no tolerance for big tech to fail" in preventing and removing pro-terror content. "Telegram needs to explain to Australian users, and the Federal Court, why it has allegedly not complied with Australian laws," she said. Under existing laws, Telegram does not need a licence to operate in Australia, but the eSafety commissioner could apply to the Federal Court to ask for the service be banned. "We've never used those powers, and we will see how this all plays out and whether that actioned in warranted," Ms Inman Grant said. The founder of Telegram, Pavel Durov, has faced a series of legal challenges in France and is now facing charges of facilitating terrorist activity in Russia, where he was born. Russian authorities allege the app is playing host to Ukrainian spies, who use it to organise attacks inside Russia.