In the EU, they are trying to determine whether Telegram falls under the new strict content law, as they are concerned about the spread of Russian disinformation on the platform.
According to Bloomberg, the EU has started negotiations with Telegram to clarify the number of users—platform representatives claim that there are about 41 million, but there are doubts about this statement.
Currently, the Digital Services Act applies to platforms with over 45 million active users and imposes strict moderation requirements and fines for violations—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 and should be subject to the same obligations as Facebook, X, and YouTube. It should be classified as a very large online platform," said Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas earlier this month, calling on the EU executive body to conduct an independent assessment of the platform size.
Telegram is often used by pro-Kremlin bots to spread disinformation (including about the war in Ukraine), but company representatives say that the platform "is not very effective for this" as it does not rely on algorithms. Additionally, Telegram allegedly is preparing a fact-checking tool that will allow fact-checking agencies to add verified information to relevant publications.
Earlier, Telegram founder Pavel Durov revealed that Apple requested the blocking of certain channels for Ukrainian users, and a few days later the messenger allegedly "mistakenly" temporarily banned "єВорог" and other Ukrainian military bots
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