Australia takes Telegram to court over alleged failure to remove 'pro-terror' material
Australian authorities have initiated legal action against Telegram for failing to remove extremist and pro-terror content from its platform. This move follows similar international scrutiny regarding the app's moderation policies and the legal troubles of its founder, Pavel Durov.
Why it matters
It highlights the ongoing global tension between social media platforms' privacy/free speech models and government mandates for online safety and moderation.
Image caption, Julie Inman Grant has launched legal action against social media platform Telegram
Australia is taking Telegram to court over its alleged failure to remove "pro-terror" material, including video of the Christchurch shootings, the country's eSafety commissioner has said.
Julie Inman-Grant, who last year led Australia's world-first ban on social media for under-16s, said the platform faced a fine of up to to A$54.6m (£28m, US$38m) for failing to comply with its safety obligations under the Online Safety Act.
The platform had left content "linked to some of the most notorious acts of known extremist violence in recent history" online long after it had been put on notice, she alleged.
"This should concern all of us," she said, adding "no platform is above the law".
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