澳大利亚eSafety Commissioner朱莉·英曼·格兰特宣布向联邦法院提起诉讼，指控Telegram未能检测和删除与恐怖主义相关的极端主义内容[1]。这是eSafety Commissioner首次根据2021年《在线安全法》中的非法内容条款进行法律执行[1]。诉讼涉及Telegram未删除包括2019年基督城清真寺袭击和2022年5月纽约布法罗枪击事件视频等多起违规行为[1]。
Telegram平台方面声称已屏蔽超150,000个恐怖主义相关社区，删除超2亿条恐怖主义内容[1]。作为全球拥有10亿用户的即时通讯应用，Telegram在澳大利亚的月访问量超过150万次[1]。根据澳大利亚在线安全代码，违反规定的最高罚款为540万澳元[1]。若Telegram拒绝支付民事罚款，eSafety Commissioner表示将探索在澳大利亚禁止该应用的可能性[1]。此前，eSafety Commissioner曾成功要求Elon Musk的X Corp支付75万澳元[1]。
Australia's eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has announced legal action against the messaging platform Telegram in federal court, alleging the app has failed to detect and remove content linked to terrorism and violent extremism [1][2]. This marks the first enforcement action by the eSafety Commissioner under the 2021 Online Safety Act's provisions on illegal content [1].
The case centers on Telegram's alleged failure to delete videos related to major violent incidents, including footage from the 2019 Christchurch mosque shooting and the May 2022 Buffalo shooting [1]. The regulator is pursuing civil enforcement under Australia's online safety framework, where violations can result in penalties of up to AU$5.4 million [1]. In response to the claims, Telegram has stated it has blocked over 150,000 terrorism-related communities and removed more than 200 million pieces of terrorist content from its platform [1].
The legal challenge comes as international scrutiny of the platform intensifies. French authorities arrested Pavel Durov, one of the app's Russian co-founders, in 2024 on allegations that he facilitated widespread criminal activity on the platform [1]. The eSafety Commissioner has signaled that should Telegram refuse to pay any civil penalties, authorities would explore the possibility of banning the application in Australia [1]. The regulator has previously secured enforcement victories, including an AU$750,000 settlement with Elon Musk's X Corp [1]. With approximately one billion global users and over 1.5 million monthly visits in Australia, Telegram remains a major communication platform [1].
