Telegram Faces Legal Action from Australia and Russia Over Alleged Facilitation of Terrorism | WPN World People News

Australia and Russia have both taken legal action against Telegram, accusing the messaging platform of enabling terrorist activities.

On July 30, Australia's eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, announced a civil lawsuit against Telegram, alleging that the company violated the Online Safety Act by failing to remove terrorist content in a timely manner after receiving reports. According to the complaint, Telegram left the reported material online for three weeks, allowed the accounts and channels responsible for posting it to remain active, and even permitted execution videos produced by extremist groups to circulate on the platform.

The lawsuit centers on Telegram's alleged failure to detect and remove known extremist violent content. Some of the graphic material reportedly remained available for nearly three months before being taken down, including footage from the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand and livestream clips from the 2022 mass shooting in Buffalo, New York. The complaint also argues that Telegram's Terms of Service do not comprehensively prohibit the promotion of terrorism and that users who report such content receive no information about how their reports are handled.

If the court finds Telegram in violation of the law, the company could face fines of up to AUD 54.6 million. Grant emphasized that "no platform is above the law" and reiterated that digital platforms have a critical responsibility to protect their communities. In 2025, Telegram was also fined approximately AUD 960,000 for failing to submit a transparency report on its efforts to combat child abuse material and terrorist content on time.

Meanwhile, on July 29, Russia announced criminal charges against Telegram founder Pavel Durov, accusing him of assisting terrorist activities and placing him on an international wanted list. Russian authorities allege that Telegram allowed Ukraine's security services to use the platform for recruitment and to organize attacks within Russian territory.