Telegram receives hefty fine after slow response to child abuse investigation
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has fined Telegram more than $600,000 after the platform responded too late to questions about how it handles harmful content, including images of child sexual abuse. This again raises questions about the responsibility of social media in the fight against online abuse.
In March 2023, the Australian watchdog, led by Julie Inman Grant, asked several social media platforms for information on their strategies for identifying and combating harmful content. Telegram was given a deadline of 6 May 2024, but did not respond until 13 October of that year. The fine is a direct result of this slow cooperation.
According to Inman Grant, Telegram’s late response has complicated the work of the eSafety Commissioner. The organisation is trying to get a better picture of how social media handles harmful content in order to create better guidelines and regulations. “Without timely and transparent cooperation, we cannot do our job effectively,” Inman Grant said.
Telegram has 28 days to pay the fine, request an extension or appeal. If the platform continues to refuse to cooperate, the case could be taken to federal court.
This is not the first time Telegram has come under scrutiny for its handling of harmful content. In August 2023, founder and CEO Pavel Durov was arrested at a Paris airport. He was charged with negligent handling of extremist and terrorist content, as well as child sexual abuse material on his platform. Durov was later released on bail and announced a tightened policy against illegal content.
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