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.
The eSafety Commission in March 2024 sought responses from social media platforms YouTube, X and Facebook to Telegram and Reddit, and blamed them for not doing enough to stop extremists from using live-streaming features, algorithms and recommendation systems to recruit users.
Telegram and Reddit were asked about the steps they were taking to combat child sexual abuse material on their services. They had to respond by 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 companies complying with Australian law," eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said in a statement.
Telegram's delay in providing information obstructed eSafety from implementing its online safety measures, Grant said.
Telegram said it had fully responded to all eSafety's questions last year, with no outstanding issues.
"The unfair and disproportionate penalty concerns only the response time frame, and we intend to appeal," the company said in an email.
Australia's spy agency in December said one in five priority counterterrorism cases investigated involved youths.
The messaging platform has been under growing scrutiny around the world since its founder Pavel Durov was placed under formal investigation in France in August in connection with alleged use of the app for illegal activities.
Durov, who is out on bail, has denied the allegations.
Grant said Big Tech must be transparent and put in place measures to prevent their services from being misused as the threat posed by online extremist materials poses a growing risk.
"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.
If Telegram chooses to ignore the penalty notice, eSafety would seek a civil penalty in court, Grant said.
The eSafety Commission in March 2024 sought responses from social media platforms YouTube, X and Facebook to Telegram and Reddit, and blamed them for not doing enough to stop extremists from using live-streaming features, algorithms and recommendation systems to recruit users.
Telegram and Reddit were asked about the steps they were taking to combat child sexual abuse material on their services. They had to respond by 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 companies complying with Australian law," eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said in a statement.
Telegram's delay in providing information obstructed eSafety from implementing its online safety measures, Grant said.
Telegram said it had fully responded to all eSafety's questions last year, with no outstanding issues.
"The unfair and disproportionate penalty concerns only the response time frame, and we intend to appeal," the company said in an email.
Australia's spy agency in December said one in five priority counterterrorism cases investigated involved youths.
The messaging platform has been under growing scrutiny around the world since its founder Pavel Durov was placed under formal investigation in France in August in connection with alleged use of the app for illegal activities.
Durov, who is out on bail, has denied the allegations.
Grant said Big Tech must be transparent and put in place measures to prevent their services from being misused as the threat posed by online extremist materials poses a growing risk.
"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.
If Telegram chooses to ignore the penalty notice, eSafety would seek a civil penalty in court, Grant said.
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Summary
Australia's online safety regulator, eSafety Commission, fined messaging app Telegram $640,000 for delaying responses regarding measures to prevent child abuse and violent extremist material. The fine was issued due to Telegram's slow response in May, while other platforms responded as required.
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| 2025/02/25 18:08 | Anonymous | 347 | - | - |
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ID: 01ea4551-9d07-45b3-aab8-c3c02a0eae5e
Category ID: voa
Created: 2025/02/24 19:00
Updated: 2025/12/08 05:59
Last Read: 2025/02/25 18:08