Brussels is investigating whether Telegram breached EU digital regulations by not providing accurate user numbers, as officials push to bring the messaging app under stricter oversight. According to the Financial Times, EU legal and data experts believe Telegram has understated its presence in the EU to stay below the 45 million user threshold, which triggers additional regulatory requirements under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The investigation runs parallel to a wide-ranging French inquiry into alleged criminal activity on Telegram, culminating in the recent arrest of its founder, Pavel Durov. Telegram, which claimed in February to have 41 million EU users, did not provide updated numbers as mandated by the DSA, stating instead that it had ‘significantly fewer than 45 million average monthly active recipients in the EU.’
This omission could place Telegram in violation of the DSA, as indicated by two EU officials who suggested the true user count likely exceeds the threshold for very large online platforms (VLOPs). Such a designation would impose additional obligations, including enhanced compliance, content moderation, third-party auditing, and mandatory data sharing with the European Commission.
Telegram’s widespread popularity, bolstered by its encrypted messaging, group functionalities, and broadcasting channels, has positioned it near a billion users globally, though its exact user base proportions remain contentious. The EU’s Joint Research Centre is conducting a technical investigation to ascertain the number of Telegram’s EU users, complementing ongoing dialogue with the app regarding its data calculations.
Thomas Regnier, a spokesperson for digital issues at the European Commission, stated, ‘We have a way through our own systems and calculations to determine how accurate the user data is. And if we think that they haven’t been providing accurate user data, we can unilaterally designate them [as a very large platform] based on our own investigation.’
The DSA rules for VLOPs, operational for a year now, have led major platforms—including Instagram, Google, and TikTok—to invest heavily in compliance. The rules ban the targeting of ads based on religion, gender, or sexual preferences, enforce transparency around misinformation, and introduce protections for minors, albeit amid legal challenges from some platforms over these exacting requirements.
Durov, a Russian-born billionaire who fled Russia after refusing to comply with Moscow’s data access demands, has developed strong ties in France, where he gained citizenship in 2021. French President Emmanuel Macron met with Durov in 2018, although subsequent interactions have been sparse.
For further details, see the full article on the Financial Times website.