EU launches investigation into Telegram - FT
Illustrative photo: The EU is investigating Telegram (Getty Images)
The European Union is investigating whether Telegram may have violated EU digital regulations. The app may have failed to provide accurate data on its user numbers, according to the Financial Times.
EU legal and data experts suspect that Telegram may have underreported its presence in the EU to avoid exceeding the 45 million user threshold. Platforms exceeding this threshold are subject to a range of Brussels regulations designed to assess their impact.
This investigation coincides with the detention of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France.
It is noted that in February, Telegram reported having 41 million users in the EU. However, this month, under the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), Telegram was required to provide updated figures. Instead, it merely stated that it has "significantly fewer than 45mn average monthly active recipients in the EU."
Failure to provide these figures suggests that Telegram may violate the DSA, and it is likely that the EU's investigation will reveal that the actual number of users exceeds the threshold for very large online platforms.
Platforms classified as such have greater obligations regarding compliance with legislation, content moderation, third-party audits, and mandatory data sharing with the European Commission.
Earlier this year, Durov told the Financial Times that Telegram's user base is "roughly proportionate to the population of each market [or] continent," excluding China.
According to the FT, the EU's internal data and science service is conducting a technical investigation to determine Telegram's user numbers in the EU. Officials familiar with the inquiry are also negotiating with the app about its calculations.
"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] on the basis of our own investigation," said Thomas Regnier, commission spokesperson for digital issues.
DSA (Digital Services Act) is an EU regulation aimed at ensuring the safety of online services and holding platforms accountable for the content they distribute. Key provisions of the DSA include:
- User safety: Platforms must swiftly and effectively remove illegal content and have mechanisms for reporting and removing such content.
- Algorithm transparency: Large platforms must explain how their recommendation algorithms work and allow users to influence or even disable these algorithms.
- Advertising oversight: The DSA regulates online advertising, especially targeted ads, requiring transparency about how user data is used for such ads.
- Minor protection: Platforms must implement additional measures to protect children from harmful content and dangerous online advertising practices.
- Responsibility of large platforms: Major internet companies bear greater responsibility for adhering to DSA rules due to their significant societal and economic impact.
- Audits and inspections: Regular audits will be conducted for the largest platforms (those with over 45 million users in the EU) to ensure compliance with the regulations.
- Complaint mechanisms: Platforms must provide users with clear and accessible mechanisms for contesting content removal or account suspension decisions.
The act aims to increase accountability for online services and create a more transparent and safe digital environment for users in the EU.
Durov's detention
On Saturday, August 24, Telegram founder Pavel Durov was detained at an airport near Paris. He is suspected of involvement in offenses related to money laundering, terrorism, and fraud.
Meanwhile, Telegram denies these allegations, stating that the company complies with all European legal requirements and that Durov is innocent.
For more details on the detention, see the RBC-Ukraine article.
For information on who Pavel Durov is, refer to the RBC-Ukraine material.
