Sydney—
Australia’s online safety regulator fined messaging platform Telegram about $640,000 on Monday for its delay in answering questions about measures the app took to prevent the spread of child abuse and violent extremist material.
In March 2024, the Electronic Safety Commission sought responses from social media platforms YouTube, X and Facebook to Telegram and Reddit, blaming them for not doing enough to prevent extremists from using live streaming features, algorithms and recommendation systems to recruit users.
Telegram and Reddit were asked about the measures they were taking to combat child sexual abuse material on their services. They had to respond in May, but Telegram submitted its response in October.
“Timely transparency is not a voluntary requirement in Australia and this action reinforces the importance of all businesses complying with Australian law,” eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said in a statement.
Telegram’s delay in providing information prevented eSafety from implementing its online security measures, Grant said.
Telegram said it had fully responded to all eSafety questions last year, with no outstanding issues.
“The unfair and disproportionate penalty relates only to the response time and we intend to appeal,” the company said in an email.
Australia’s spy agency said in December that one in five priority counterterrorism cases investigated involved young people.
The messaging platform has been under increasing scrutiny around the world since its founder Pavel Durov was placed under formal investigation in France in August in relation to alleged use of the app for illegal activities.
Durov, who is free on bail, has denied the allegations.
Grant said Big Tech must be transparent and put measures in place to prevent their services from being misused, as the threat posed by online extremist materials poses a growing risk.
“If we want to hold the tech industry to account, we need much greater transparency. These powers give us insight into how these platforms are dealing, or not dealing, with a range of serious and egregious online harms affecting Australians,” Grant said.
If Telegram decides to ignore the penalty notice, eSafety would seek a civil penalty in court, Grant said.
