The Telegram messenger has become an important tool for pro-Kremlin accounts to spread disinformation. The main problem with Telegram is its lack of accountability, which complicates the work of European officials who are actively trying to combat fake news, UNN reports citing Bloomberg.
"Disinformation is being spread openly and completely uncontrollably on Telegram," said Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.
She noted that requests to remove disturbing content often go unanswered: "This is a problem that other member states are also facing.
Telegram, owned by a Russian who fled the country a decade ago, functions as a central node in this ecosystem, a kind of bridge that propaganda groups use to distribute their content to active social communities in order to spread their narratives to a wider audience.
"Telegram is popular among various pro-Russian actors, as well as people who have been spreading disinformation for a long time, because there is almost no content moderation. Telegram's rules are very, very lenient in this regard," said Daniel Milo, former director of the Center for Countering Hybrid Threats at the Slovak Ministry of Interior.
The European Union has recently strengthened its powers to combat illegal and harmful content, aiming to prevent the spread of disinformation ahead of the European elections. However, when it comes to Telegram, these measures are less effective. According to the legislation, strict requirements apply to platforms with more than 45 million active users in Europe, but Telegram has only 41 million.
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Callas noted that these figures do not reflect the full picture and called on the European Commission to conduct an independent assessment. So far, the European Commission has not commented on the matter. Thus, Telegram remains outside the scope of the EU's flagship Digital Services Act, which came into force in February.
"Calls for violence or damage to property are explicitly prohibited on Telegram," a company representative said in response to a question.
They say that moderators monitor the public parts of the platform to remove content that violates its terms of service.
According to Kallas, if Telegram were to be classified as a "very large online platform" under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), it would have to take measures to combat disinformation and strengthen content control. "This would ensure a level playing field in the domestic market, as other platforms have already made significant efforts to meet the requirements of the DSA," the Estonian Prime Minister said.
The main themes of Russia's disinformation campaigns include its war in Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East, immigration, climate change, and the upcoming European Parliament elections, according to an internal EU study analyzed by Bloomberg.
According to security company Sekoia, one of the groups uses low-cost domain names, often registering them on Russian services, which makes them difficult for Western agencies to block. Such sites distribute links to disinformation via Telegram, trying to engage users in the viral spread of content on social media, especially in smaller countries.
"Almost a third of the content on Slovak Telegram accounts comes from or is directly taken from various Russian sources.Telegram plays a key role in spreading Russian narratives," Milo said, citing a study by the Slovak government.
Recall
Earlier, the European Union planned to create a supervisory body, the Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications (BIPT), which will regulate the operation of the Telegram messenger throughout the EU.