https://www.euronews.com/next/2024/08/21/telegram-still-doesnt-meet-large-platform-requirements-under-dsa
Telegram still doesn't meet large platform requirements under DSA
Messaging service Telegram continues to dodge designation as a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) under the EU’s platform rules, because its user numbers do not yet exceed 45 million monthly users in the bloc, a spokesperson for the Belgian Digital Services Coordinator told Euronews.
“Depending on how active users of the service are counted, it is possible to arrive at different numbers,” the Belgian Institute of Post and Telecommunications (BIPT ) told Euronews.
“We have not received any numbers to date that would indicate more than 45 million monthly active users,” the spokesperson said. Discussions between BIPT, the European Commission and Telegram are ongoing and unlikely to end by mid-August. If a designation takes place, this is likely to happen after the summer.
Telegram said in February that it has 41 million monthly average users, which is slightly lower than the VLOP threshold of 45 million per month, under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
The company states that the number "relevant for calculating this threshold is believed to be even lower, since only some of Telegram’s functions may qualify as “online platforms” under the DSA."
The platform’s founder, Russian-born Pavel Durov, previously said that he thinks the company will hit one billion users worldwide in 2024. The app – which is headquartered in Dubai – currently also claims to have passed 900 million active monthly users globally.
Telegram chose Belgium as its legal representation in the EU in May, meaning that BIPT is tasked with overseeing the platform’s compliance with the DSA – in areas such as transparency and content moderation – until it becomes a VLOP.