The European Union is quietly gathering evidence to determine whether Telegram, the controversial messaging and social media app, should be subject to its strictest content moderation regulations, Bloomberg reports.
EU officials are using data from various web traffic monitoring firms to establish that Telegram’s social media platform boasts over 45 million monthly active users, a threshold that would trigger tighter scrutiny under the bloc’s new Digital Services Act (DSA).
Data from Similarweb, one of the tools the EU is utilizing, suggests that Telegram’s app averaged 50.7 million monthly active Android users from just seven EU countries between February and July 2024. While this number appears to exceed the 45-million user threshold, a significant portion may not be considered under the DSA. The EU classifies messaging services separately, and would likely need to exclude those users from the total user count for Telegram’s social networking features.
The urgency surrounding this investigation has been amplified by the arrest of Pavel Durov, Telegram’s CEO. Durov was charged in France last month for complicity in spreading child sexual abuse imagery and other crimes, and accused of failing to cooperate with authorities in investigating offenses on the platform. He was released on bail in August.
To gauge Telegram’s user base, the EU is relying on external sources, including data from Similarweb and Semrush, but will ultimately apply its own interpretation to the collected information.
Telegram insists its social media user base remains below the EU’s threshold. The company claims that “a significant number of Telegram users never access” groups and channels. If the commission deems Telegram’s self-reported figures unreliable, it could designate the app as subject to stricter regulations, regardless of the user count.
“It’s for Telegram to make this differentiation and calculation, but we could take all users into account if necessary,” said Thomas Regnier, a commission spokesperson on digital issues.
Similarweb blends anonymized private traffic data with public information to estimate app usage patterns. However, it cannot distinguish between users accessing Telegram’s social network features and those using the platform for messaging.
The EU has declined to comment on Similarweb’s figures or discuss its data sources. Similarweb’s research editor, David Carr, suggested that the commission might be using their data to develop its own analysis. Semrush has not responded to requests for comment.
In February, Telegram claimed 41 million unique monthly active users in the EU. In August, it updated its statement, stating that it has “significantly fewer than 45 million” users, without providing a specific number, a move the commission official deemed a violation of the DSA.
