EU launches investigation into Telegram for allegedly under-reporting user numbers to circumvent regulations
The EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) stipulates that 'very large online platforms' are to be subject to special monitoring, and the standard for such targets is whether the number of users reaches 45 million or more, which is equivalent to 10% of the EU population. It has been reported that EU authorities have launched an investigation into Telegram, alleging that the company may have falsified its user numbers in order to circumvent this regulation.
EU investigating Telegram over user numbers
In February 2024, Telegram announced that it had 41 million users in the EU. Based on the DSA, Telegram is to publish updated data in August 2024, but without disclosing the specific number of users, Telegram only announced that 'the average number of monthly active recipients in the EU is significantly lower than 45 million.'
Two EU officials told the Financial Times that Telegram was violating the DSA by not publishing the new data, and that the investigation was likely to find that the number of users exceeded the DSA's threshold for a 'very large online platform.'
Telegram, which has exploded in popularity in recent years, offers an encrypted messaging service as well as group and broadcasting channels used by world leaders and claims to have around one billion users worldwide.
In addition, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov said in an interview in early 2024 that 'outside of China, the number of Telegram users is roughly proportional to the population of each market and continent.'
Thomas Regnier, a European Commission spokesman for digital issues, said: 'We have the means to determine how accurate the user data is through our own systems and calculations. And if we determine that they are not publishing accurate user data, we can unilaterally designate Telegram as a 'very large online platform' based on our findings.' He expressed confidence in Telegram's pursuit of wrongdoing.
The EU investigation is being conducted in parallel with the investigation into Durov, who was arrested for his involvement in Telegram's crimes. On August 28, 2024, French authorities indicted Durov on a total of 12 charges, including 'spreading child abuse images,' 'drug trafficking,' and 'failure to comply with requests from law enforcement agencies.'
Telegram CEO arrested and charged with 12 crimes including 'spreading child abuse images' and 'drug trafficking' - GIGAZINE
Telegram says its CEO, Durov, a dual citizen of France and the United Arab Emirates, has 'nothing to hide.'
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