The EU is investigating whether Telegram falls under a new strict content law, as it is concerned about the spread of Russian disinformation on the platform.
According to Bloomberg, the EU has started talks with Telegram to clarify the number of users — representatives of the platform claim that there are about 41 million of them, but there are doubts about this statement.
Currently, the Digital Services Law applies to platforms with more than 45 million active users and provides for strict moderation requirements and fines in case of violation — up to 6% of global annual sales (in case of repeated violations, the platform may be banned in the EU)
«We believe that Telegram is a large enough platform that it should be subject to the same obligations as Facebook, X, and YouTube. It should qualify as a very large online platform», — Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said earlier this month, calling on the EU executive to conduct an independent assessment of the size of the platform.
Telegram is often used by pro-Kremlin bots to spread disinformation (including the war in Ukraine), but company representatives say that the «platform is not very effective for this» because it does not rely on algorithms. In addition, Telegram is allegedly preparing a fact-checking tool that will allow fact-checking agencies to add verified information to relevant publications.
Previously, the founder of Telegram’s Pavel Durov said that Apple sent a request to block some channels for Ukrainian users, and a few days later the messenger allegedly «mistakenly» temporarily banned «eEnemy» and other Ukrainian military bots