澳大利亚eSafety专员办公室周四对Telegram提起法律诉讼，指控该平台未能从其系统中删除极端主义和恐怖主义材料[1]。被控内容包括2022年布法罗枪击案、2019年基督城清真寺枪击案的视频以及伊斯兰国斩首内容等[1]。若被判有罪，Telegram将面临最高5460万澳元（3800万美元）的罚款[1]。
eSafety专员Julie Inman Grant表示，澳大利亚监管机构自2024年3月起开始敦促Telegram合规，但在数月内未获回应[1]。这项诉讼成为澳大利亚2021年法律对科技平台反恐义务的首次司法检验[1]。
Telegram驳斥了这些指控，称"我们拒绝这些指控，将在法庭上辩论"[1]，并指出该公司已采取广泛的反恐措施，在2024年封禁了超过150,000个与恐怖主义相关的社区[1]。Telegram还表示，自法国在2024年8月逮捕其俄罗斯创始人Pavel Durov后，该平台变得更具合规性[1]。
Australia's eSafety Commissioner has filed legal action against Telegram, accusing the messaging platform of failing to remove violent extremist material including videos from the Buffalo and Christchurch mass shootings as well as Islamic State beheading content [1]. The legal action was announced by eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant on Thursday [1]. If found guilty, Telegram faces a maximum penalty of 54.6 million Australian dollars [1].
Telegram has rejected the allegations, stating it will contest them in court [1]. The company claims to have implemented extensive counter-terrorism measures and noted it has become more compliant following the French arrest of its Russian founder Pavel Durov in August 2024, who was held on 5 million euros bail [1]. According to Telegram, the platform banned over 150,000 communities related to terrorism in 2024 [1].
The Australian regulator began pressing Telegram to comply with requirements starting in March 2024, asserting the platform had remained unresponsive for months [1]. This legal action marks a significant test of Australia's 2021 legislation establishing counter-terrorism obligations for technology platforms [1].