Telegram in the crosshairs of the European Union: possible lies about the number of users of the app in the EU are being investigated

Telegram has come under scrutiny from the European Union over suspicions of providing false information about the number of users. CEO Pavel Durov has already faced criminal charges in France, and now the company itself is under investigation.

Here's What We Know

The EU suspects that Telegram may have underreported the number of users to avoid stricter rules under the Digital Services Act (DSA). Earlier this year, Telegram claimed to have 41 million users in the EU, but this month the company said it had "significantly less than 45 million monthly active users".

This has raised suspicions as the 45 million user threshold means the platform falls under the DSA's stricter rules. The EU is carrying out its own calculations to check the accuracy of the data provided by Telegram. If it turns out that the company has more users than claimed, it could lead to serious legal and financial consequences, including fines of up to 6 per cent of the company's annual revenue.

Source: Financial Times