Australia’s online safety regulator, eSafety, sues messaging platform Telegram over alleged failures to remove terrorist content quickly after it was posted and reportedly left accessible for an extended period. According to eSafety, videos of the Christchurch and Buffalo attacks remained on Telegram for nearly three months before being taken down.
The regulator’s court action follows concerns that Telegram did not act within required timeframes to reduce the availability of violent extremist material once it had been identified. The complaints focus on how the content was handled after it appeared on the service and the time it took for the material to be removed.
eSafety’s case centres on the duration the videos stayed online and the regulator’s view that Telegram did not meet obligations related to dealing with material involving terrorism. Other reports repeat the same core allegation: that the footage was accessible for almost three months and was later removed.
