The European Union has turned its attention to Telegram after the messaging app failed to comply with requirements for providing updated data on the number of users in the EU, according to a report by the Financial Times. Although Telegram initially stated in February that it had 41 million users in the European Union, it did not submit the required updated data this month as stipulated by the EU Law on Digital Services (DSA). Instead, the company vaguely mentioned having “much less than 45 million active users per month in the EU”.
Failing to provide the required data could result in Telegram being labeled as a “very large online platform,” as noted by two EU officials. This designation would come with additional obligations for the company, such as stricter compliance with the law, content moderation, independent audits, and mandatory data sharing with the European Commission.
Telegram has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years, attracting users with its encrypted messaging features and the ability to create groups and channels for broadcasting, even being used by world leaders. The app now boasts nearly a billion users worldwide.
Founder of Telegram, Pavel Durov, previously mentioned in an interview with the Financial Times that the application’s user base is roughly proportional to the population of each market or continent, with China being the exception.
As the European Commission investigates the accuracy of Telegram’s user data, the messaging platform has not yet responded to requests for comment. The Commission’s Center for Joint Research is conducting an independent analysis to determine the precise number of Telegram users in the EU. If discrepancies are found in Telegram’s data, the platform could be classified as “very large” based on the investigation results.
Rules outlined in the DSA for large platforms came into effect a year ago, impacting global companies such as Instagram, Google, and TikTok. These regulations include bans on advertising targeting based on religious beliefs, gender, or sexual orientation of users, requirements for platforms to disclose actions taken against misinformation and propaganda, as well as enhanced measures to protect minors. Some platforms are challenging these rules in court due to the significant implications they impose.