Australia Hits Telegram With Nearly AU$1M Fine For Delayed Response To Child Abuse, Terrorism Concerns

Australia's online safety watchdog, the eSafety Commission, imposed a fine of AU$957,780 on the messaging platform Telegram on Monday, due to its delayed response to questions regarding measures to combat child abuse material and terrorism on its platform.

If Telegram fails to comply with the fine, the eSafety Commissioner may pursue additional legal actions, including seeking civil penalties in federal court, The Guardian reported.

Telegram has 28 days to either appeal the infringement notice, pay the fine, or request an extension.

A Telegram spokesperson called the penalty "unfair and disproportionate" and confirmed the company will challenge the fine. In a statement, Telegram asserted that it had fully responded to all of the eSafety Commission's questions in 2024, emphasizing that no issues remained unresolved, Reuters reported.

"The unfair and disproportionate penalty concerns only the response time frame, and we intend to appeal," the company stated.

Failure to respond leads to penalty

In March 2024, the eSafety Commission requested responses from multiple social media platforms, including Telegram and Reddit, regarding their efforts to prevent the spread of harmful content.

Last year, a joint statement from the Five Eyes security agencies, including the Australian Security Intelligence Organization and the Australian Federal Police, identified Telegram as a platform through which young people were accessing extremist propaganda videos.

Telegram was particularly scrutinized for its role in allowing extremists to exploit its livestreaming features and recommendation algorithms for recruitment purposes. The platform was also asked to detail its actions to tackle child sexual abuse material on its services.

Telegram, however, did not respond to the commission's inquiry by the May deadline. Instead, the company provided its answers only in October, causing a delay of nearly 160 days. This failure to respond in a timely manner led to the eSafety Commission issuing an infringement notice.

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

Global scrutiny and legal challenges

The fine comes amid growing global scrutiny of Telegram, which has faced increasing pressure since its founder, Pavel Durov, was placed under formal investigation in France in August 2024.

The investigation concerns the alleged use of the app for illegal activities. Durov remains on bail in France, with the court expected to hear the case next year.

Grant reiterated the need for transparency from large tech companies, stating that social media platforms must take responsibility for preventing the misuse of their services, particularly in relation to extremist materials.

"If we want accountability from the tech industry we need much greater transparency. These powers give us a look under the hood at just how these platforms are dealing, or not dealing, with a range of serious and egregious online harms which affect Australians," Grant said.

Elon Musk's X has appealed the decision to the Administrative Review Tribunal after being notified to provide similar information. The case is still ongoing.

In a separate case, X has been fined over $610,000 for not fully responding to notices.

A comprehensive eSafety report, which will detail the responses from Telegram, Meta, WhatsApp, Google, and Reddit, is set to be released in March 2025.