Australia Sues Telegram Over Lingering Terrorist Videos
Australia’s online safety regulator is taking Telegram to court, alleging the platform left footage of mass shootings accessible for over a week after user reports.
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has filed a lawsuit in Federal Court against Telegram FZ-LLC and Telegram Messenger Inc., alleging that the messaging app failed to comply with the country's laws governing violent extremist material.
The regulator's court filing, registered on July 29, focuses on 12 specific posts reported by Australian users between September 27 and October 5, 2025. These included footage of the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks and the 2022 Buffalo supermarket shooting. According to eSafety, 10 of the reported posts stayed online for at least a week after complaints were made, and the associated channels and accounts were neither banned nor removed.
If the court sides with the watchdog, Telegram could face civil penalties of up to 54.6 million Australian dollars (roughly $38 million), with the final amount left to judicial discretion.
Telegram rejected the claims, asserting that its moderation against terrorist material is well-documented. A spokesperson stated that moderators had already taken down thousands of extremist communities in 2026 and confirmed the company plans to contest the lawsuit in court.
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