Telegram could face greater EU scrutiny

Telegram could face stricter EU digital rules as Brussels probes whether the popular messaging app – whose founder faces criminal charges in France – has more users in the bloc than claimed.
The platform was thrust into the spotlight after its chief Pavel Durov was arrested in France on Saturday. He has since been released on bail but cannot leave the country.Durov is accused of failing to curb extremist and illegal content on the increasingly controversial platform, which has over 900 million followers.
Under the DSA, platforms must update their figures every six months.
When the time came for an update in August, Telegram refused to give exact figures, insisting on its website that it had “significantly fewer than 45 million average monthly active recipients in the EU”.
“What we are asking for is a precise figure. Telegram merely says they are sharply below the threshold,” said Thomas Regnier, commission spokesperson on digital issues.
The DSA stipulates that every platform gives specific figures.
Since Telegram’s legal representation is based in Brussels, Belgian regulators have the power to monitor the platform — meaning that currently the commission does not have jurisdiction over possible DSA violations.