The Australian online safety regulator has fined Telegram 1 million Australian dollars ($640,000) for delaying answers to questions about the measures the messenger takes to prevent the spread of child abuse and extremist material.
The Australian online safety regulator has fined Telegram 1 million Australian dollars ($640,000) for delaying answers to questions about the measures the messenger takes to prevent the spread of child abuse and extremist material.
In March 2024, the Electronic Security Commission addressed social networks YouTube, Facebook, Telegram and Reddit, accusing them of insufficient efforts to stop extremists from using features, algorithms and recommendation systems to recruit users, Reuters reported .
Telegram and Reddit were asked about what measures they were taking to combat child sexual abuse material on their services. They were due to respond by May, but Telegram sent its response in October.
“Timely transparency is not a voluntary requirement in Australia, and this move highlights the importance of all companies complying with Australian law,” e-Security Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said in a statement.
Telegram's delay in providing information prevented eSafety from implementing its online safety measures, Grant said.
Telegram said it fully responded to all eSafety questions last year and has no outstanding issues.
“The unfair and disproportionate penalty only concerns the response time, and we intend to appeal,” the company said in an email.
In December, the Australian intelligence agency said one of the five priority counter-terrorism cases being investigated involved young people.
Grant said big tech must be transparent and take steps to prevent abuse of their services as the threat posed by extremist material online becomes increasingly dangerous.
"If we want accountability from the tech industry, we need much greater transparency. These powers allow us to look under the hood and see how these platforms are or are not dealing with a range of serious and egregious online threats that Australians suffer from," Grant said.
