Australia’s Esafety Commissioner has fined Telegram for a significant delay in response to interrogation about his measures to combat child abuse and extremist content on his platform. Preliminary requests sent in March 2024 required response until May 6, 2024; However, Telegram did not provide the necessary information till October 13, 2024, resulting in a delay of 160 days. This lack of timely cooperation has raised concerns about the commitment of the platform for user safety and regulatory compliance.
Esafity Commissioner Julie inman Grants Stressed on The importance of transparency and accountability from technical companies, stating that such delays obstruct the effective implementation of online security measures. Telegram has described the fine as a “inappropriate and ratioless”, which reflects its intentions to appeal for fine. The company claims that since it was delayed, it has improved its engagement with global regulators and has been actively working to increase its content moderation practices.
This action against Telegram is part of a comprehensive effort to keep the social media platforms accountable by the Australian authorities to keep the content shared on their services. Earlier, in October 2024, the platform X (East Twitter) was fined $ 610,500 to fail to be sufficiently responded to the same inquiry about child abuse materials. These regulatory measures outlined Australia’s commitment to implement Australia’s stringent online security standards and to ensure that digital platforms take active steps to prevent the spread of harmful materials.
The Esafity Commissioner’s report, which consolidates information from various platforms including Telegram, Meta, WhatsApp, Google and Reddit, is scheduled for release in early March. The purpose of this report is to provide a comprehensive observation of how these platforms are addressing issues related to exploitation and extremist content of the child, providing insight into the effectiveness of current measures and highlight areas required to improve.
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