- Ofcom opens a formal investigation into Telegram under the Online Safety Act for alleged circulation of child sexual abuse material.
- The British regulator could impose fines of up to 10% of global revenue and limit access to the service in the UK.
- Telegram categorically rejects the accusations and defends its detection systems and collaboration with NGOs.
- The case reignites the European debate on moderation on encrypted platforms and the protection of minors on the Internet.
The decision by the British communications regulator to open a formal investigation against Telegram This has once again brought to the forefront the responsibility of major messaging platforms in protecting minors online. The investigation is being conducted within the framework of the UK's new online safety legislation and directly addresses the potential circulation of child sexual abuse material on the app.
Ofcom's move is not limited to an isolated case: it is part of a broader strategy for controlling the digital environmentwith a special focus on illegal content and the exposure of children and adolescents to risks such as grooming or networks of sexual predators. Even so, Telegram denies the accusations and maintains that it has been strengthening its detection mechanisms and cooperation with specialized organizations for years.
What exactly is Ofcom investigating?
Ofcom has begun proceedings to determine whether Telegram has failed to meet its obligations provided for in the Online Safety Act, a regulation that requires digital services to quickly identify, mitigate and remove illegal content, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to the agency, before opening the investigation it received Information from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection which pointed to the alleged presence and dissemination of this type of content on the platform. Based on this, Ofcom conducted its own assessment and concluded that there was sufficient evidence to take the next step and open a formal investigation.
The aim of the process is to analyze whether the Dubai-based company has implemented effective measures to prevent and remove child abuse materialas well as to limit the use of its chat services by predators attempting to contact minors. The investigation will cover both the circulation of illegal content and the systems for prevention, moderation, and response to complaints.
It should be emphasized that the opening of this investigation does not yet imply a conclusion as to whether any infringements have occurred. Ofcom has initiated a evidence gathering and technical analysis phaseAfter which it will issue a provisional decision. Telegram will have the right to submit arguments and additional documentation before a final decision is made, a process that could take months.
Possible penalties and scope of the Online Safety Act
The UK's Online Safety Act, in force since 2025, grants Ofcom far-reaching sanctioning powers This applies to platforms that fail to comply with their obligations regarding illegal content and child protection. Fines can reach up to £18 million or 10% of the company's global revenue, a figure that, in the case of a service the size of Telegram, could translate into multimillion-pound penalties.
In addition to financial penalties, Ofcom can request legal measures that limit access to the service in British territory if it considers that the company is not cooperating or persists in non-compliance. This opens the door, in extreme scenarios, to partial or total blockades in the United Kingdom, a scenario that other European regulators are closely monitoring due to its potential contagion effect.
The Online Safety Act requires all relevant platforms to implement detection and rapid response mechanisms Regarding illicit content, strengthen reporting systems accessible to users and authorities, and reduce the risk of exposure of minors, for example through age controls or restrictions on certain functionalities for young users.
Suzanne Cater, Ofcom's compliance director, has been particularly clear in pointing out that companies subject to the new regulations "They must do more to protect children" if they don't want to face serious consequences. The agency has already sanctioned other services for non-compliance, such as the forum 4chan, which was fined last October, and has opened dozens of proceedings since the law came into effect.
Telegram's response: outright rejection of the accusations
Telegram has reacted strongly to Ofcom's announcement. In statements to various media outlets, the company has asserted that "categorically denies" the accusations from the British regulator and has argued that it has been using advanced tools for years to combat the spread of child sexual abuse material in its ecosystem.
The platform claims that, since 2018, it has "virtually eliminated" public dissemination Telegram detects this type of content using state-of-the-art algorithms and through collaboration with various NGOs and specialized organizations. Furthermore, Telegram maintains that the investigation could be part of a broader attack against online services that claim to defend freedom of expression and the right to privacy of their users.
In December 2024, the company joined the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF)A British non-profit organization dedicated to identifying and eradicating child sexual abuse material online. Following this commitment, Telegram pledged to deploy detection tools in public spaces on the platform, such as open channels and groups, including hashing systems to identify images already categorized as illegal and technologies aimed at blocking AI-generated content for abusive purposes.
Despite these steps, the IWF itself has indicated that problems still persist. significant gaps in protection within the Telegram ecosystem, and has expressed concern about the activity of malicious actors exploiting the app's features. In their opinion, not enough is being done to prevent the redistribution of illicit images that have already been detected and cataloged.
International scrutiny of the service is not new either. Earlier this year, Australia's online safety regulator imposed a Telegram fined for delays in its responses Regarding the measures taken to curb the spread of child abuse material and violent extremist content, these incidents reinforce the perception among some regulators that the company reacts late or incompletely to certain official requirements.
The political and regulatory context in the United Kingdom and Europe
Ofcom's investigation comes amid an increasingly demanding political climate regarding digital platforms. The British government, led by Keir Starmer, has raised the possibility of ban access to social networks for minors under 16 years of age and has begun consultations with the technology sector to raise the level of responsibility regarding the risks that children face online.
In recent weeks, the prime minister has met with executives of large technology companies to request additional commitments from them regarding child safety, beyond what is strictly required by law. The Telegram case serves as an example of the Executive's willingness not to limit its actions only to traditional social networks like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, but also to messaging services that until now had operated with greater leeway.
Ofcom has confirmed that, along with the investigation into Telegram, it has opened parallel investigations against other chat platformsServices such as Teen Chat and Chat Avenue were inspected to assess whether they have adequate systems in place to prevent the grooming of minors by adults with criminal intent. According to the regulator, after contacting these companies, it remains dissatisfied with the level of protection they offer to British children.
At the European level, the British movement is being watched with interest because This could set a trend in the monitoring of encrypted servicesThe European Union has already tightened transparency and moderation requirements with regulations such as the Digital Services Act (DSA), and Ofcom's action adds pressure on platforms that combine large public channels with private messaging.
For Spain and other EU countries, the case is a reminder that balance between privacy, encryption, and child safety This will continue to be one of the most complex debates in the coming years. Although each jurisdiction has its own legal framework, investigations affecting large global services tend to have practical repercussions far beyond the borders where they originate.
The challenge of moderating a massive, encrypted platform
The investigation opened against Telegram brings the issue back to the forefront tension between protecting privacy and fighting crime on the internet. The application combines public spaces—such as open channels and groups—with private conversations and end-to-end encrypted chats, which makes content monitoring particularly difficult.
Privacy advocates argue that el strong encryption is essential to guarantee the safety of journalists, activists, persecuted minorities, or any citizen who fears abusive surveillance by governments and corporations. In their view, weakening these protections in the name of child safety could open the door to widespread abuses and a rollback of fundamental rights.
On the other hand, many child protection organizations and police forces argue that the current model leaves too much room for criminal networks, which take advantage of the opacity of messaging services to share abuse material, coordinate illegal activities, or recruit minors. That's why they are calling for a stricter regulatory framework and technologies that allow for earlier detection of crimes.
Telegram tries to present itself as a middle ground, defending encryption and privacy but, at the same time, highlighting its cooperation with NGOs and specialized agencies in areas where it can intervene more easily. However, for regulators like Ofcom, the key question is whether these measures are sufficient in light of the identified risks and new legal obligations.
A research project with potential impact beyond the United Kingdom
Although Ofcom's investigation focuses on the UK, its The consequences could be felt throughout Europe.If the regulator concludes that Telegram has violated the Online Safety Act and decides to impose exemplary sanctions or access restrictions, other regulators might be encouraged to follow a similar path, adapted to their own national laws.
Recent experience shows that major cases against digital platforms tend to have a ripple effect on the legislative agenda of other countriesIn the EU, for example, political pressure to strengthen online child protection has been increasing, and several member states have considered age verification measures or restrictions on certain functions for teenagers.
For users in Spain and the rest of the continent, this type of procedure could translate, in the medium term, into changes to the terms of use and the app experience: more warnings, more visible reporting tools, limitations on content forwarding, or new layers of verification to access certain sensitive functions.
Meanwhile, Telegram faces a scenario in which it will have to justify to the authorities the true scope of their measures against child abuse material and demonstrate with concrete data the effectiveness of its algorithms and moderation teams. How it manages this process could influence its future relationship with regulators in other European countries.
The clash between Ofcom and Telegram illustrates the extent to which the child safety, privacy, and regulation of large platforms They have become a crucial arena in contemporary digital politics. What happens in this case will serve as a benchmark for future debates in the UK, Spain, and the rest of Europe on how to balance fundamental rights and protection against abuse in an environment increasingly dominated by encrypted messaging services and social networks.
