Ofcom has opened an investigation under the UK’s Online Safety Act into Telegram after receiving evidence from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection and conducting its own assessment that the platform is being used to share child sexual abuse material; Ofcom is also probing Teen Chat, Chat Avenue, and X over grooming risks and AI-generated nonconsensual explicit content. If Ofcom finds compliance failures it can impose fines up to £18 million or 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue and seek court orders to block or disrupt services, while Telegram denies the allegations and says it has virtually eliminated public CSAM since 2018. #Telegram #Ofcom
Keypoints
- Ofcom launched a formal investigation into Telegram under the Online Safety Act over alleged sharing of CSAM.
- Evidence prompting the probe came from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection and Ofcom’s own assessment.
- Telegram denies the accusations, asserting it largely eliminated public CSAM on the platform since 2018.
- Ofcom is separately investigating Teen Chat and Chat Avenue for grooming risks and probing X over Grok-related nonconsensual explicit content.
- Ofcom can levy fines up to £18 million or 10% of worldwide revenue and seek court orders to block non-compliant services in the UK.