SYDNEY, Australia: Australia's internet regulator said on July 30 that it had started legal action against messaging platform Telegram for allegedly failing to deal with pro-terror content on its service.

The Office of the eSafety Commissioner said the action was taken after Telegram did not remove videos showing terrorist executions and mass shootings.

The regulator said the case involves material linked to some of the most well-known extremist attacks in recent history, including the Christchurch and Buffalo shootings. It added that the content stayed available on the platform even after Telegram had been formally alerted.

"This case concerns content linked to some of the most notorious acts of known extremist violence in recent history, including material associated with the Christchurch and Buffalo terror attacks," eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said.

The regulator warned that failing to comply with Australia's online safety rules could result in civil penalties of up to A$54.6 million.

Telegram responded by saying it rejected the claims and would fight the case in court. A spokesperson said the company's efforts to combat terrorism were well recorded, adding that thousands of extremist groups had been blocked on the platform in 2026 alone.

In a court filing, the eSafety office said Australian users had reported 12 posts containing pro-terror content between July and October 2025, including three with known terrorist material. It said Telegram failed to remove 10 of those posts or take action against the accounts responsible.

Telegram is one of the most widely used apps in the world, with more than one billion monthly active users, according to the company. Its founder, Pavel Durov, left Russia in 2014 and later moved the company to Dubai in 2017.

The platform has become an important source of information during Russia's war in Ukraine and is widely used by officials in both Moscow and Kyiv.

On July 29, Russia charged Durov with helping terrorist activities, claiming that Ukrainian operatives had used the app to plan attacks inside Russia.