EU issues probe against Telegram
(MENAFN) The European Commission is currently examining whether Telegram has violated European Union digital regulations by allegedly failing to provide accurate data regarding its user base, according to a report by the Financial Times on Wednesday. This scrutiny by the European Union coincides with a separate investigation by the French government into criminal activities on the messaging platform, which recently led to the arrest of Telegram's CEO, Pavel Durov.
Durov, who is 39 years old, was detained on Saturday at a Paris airport after arriving on a private jet from Azerbaijan. Following his arrest, he was reportedly released from police custody and is now facing potential indictment. A decision on his legal status was anticipated by late Wednesday.
According to sources familiar with the European Union investigation, the European Commission's Joint Research Centre is conducting a technical review to assess the accuracy of Telegram's reported user numbers in the European Union. Thomas Regnier, a spokesperson for the Commission on digital issues, explained that the Commission has its own systems and methodologies to verify user data accuracy. He emphasized that if Telegram is found to have provided inaccurate data, the Commission has the authority to designate the platform as a "very large online platform" based on its findings.
Under the new European Union Digital Services Act (DSA), which took effect earlier this year, platforms with over 45 million monthly users, classified as 'Very Large Online Platforms,' must adhere to strict data protection and advertising regulations. Telegram asserts that it has approximately 41 million monthly users within the European Union. In response to the ongoing investigations, the company issued a statement on Sunday asserting its compliance with European Union laws and content moderation standards. Telegram dismissed claims of CEO Durov’s responsibility for any misuse of the platform by malicious actors as “absurd.”
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