Australia Fines Telegram IDR 10 Billion For Being Late In Answering Questions About Child Harassment And Terrorism

E-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant (photo: x @AustraliaEU)

JAKARTA Australia's online security authority imposed a fine of around $1 million on Telegram's instant messaging platform. This is due to their delay in answering questions regarding the steps taken to prevent the spread of child abuse material and violent extremism in the country.

Australia's e-Safety commission in March 2024 requested responses from various social media platforms, including YouTube, X, Facebook, Telegram, and Reddit, regarding their efforts to stop extremists from using live-streaming features, algorithms, and recommendation systems to recruit users.

Telegram and Reddit were asked to provide information about the steps they took to deal with the circulation of child sexual abuse material on their platform. Both platforms should have responded in May 2024, but Telegram only provided the answer in October 2024.

"Timely proper transparency is not a voluntary requirement in Australia, and this action underscores the importance of compliance of all companies with Australian law," said e-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, in a statement quoted by VOI from Reuters.

Grant added that Telegram's delay in providing information has hampered e-Safety in implementing online security measures.

Australia's intelligence agency in December 2024 revealed that one in five priority cases against terrorism they investigated involved young people.

Telegram has also been under intense scrutiny across countries, especially since its founder, Pavel Durov, became the subject of an official investigation in France in August 2024 over alleged use of applications for illegal activities. Durov, who is currently free on bail, has denied all these allegations.

Grant insists that big tech companies should be more transparent and implement effective measures to prevent their platforms from being misused, given the threat from online extremism material is increasing.

"If we want to demand accountability from the tech industry, we need much greater transparency. This authority gives us an idea of how these platforms handle, or don't handle, the various forms of serious online dangers that have an impact on Australians," Grant said.

"If Telegram chooses to ignore this fine, e-Safety will file a civil lawsuit to the court to enforce the sentence," Grany added.