Excerpt from Euro News Article, Published on Jun 2, 2025.
Telegram is once again in the spotlight, as the Belgian telecoms regulator begins investigating the platform’s compliance with EU rules designed to combat terrorist content online. The Belgian Institute of Post and Telecommunications (BIPT) received 454 injunctions in 2024 concerning content hosted on Telegram, sparking a deep dive into the messaging app’s efforts to adhere to the EU’s Terrorist Content Online (TCO) Regulation. Though Telegram is officially registered in the British Virgin Islands, its legal representative for the EU is based in Brussels, placing the platform under BIPT’s jurisdiction. This location subjects Telegram to direct oversight regarding EU legal obligations, particularly concerning swift action on content flagged as terrorist-related.
According to BIPT’s annual report, the investigation will continue throughout 2025, with the agency also extending its controls to other hosting providers within the EU. Under TCO rules, which came into force in June 2022, Telegram and other platforms must remove flagged terrorist content within one hour of receiving an official order. Failure to comply could result in fines of up to 4% of global turnover. In response to inquiries, a Telegram spokesperson emphasized that the company prioritizes TCO-related requests, claiming that 549 such pieces of content were removed in 2024 and another 128 in early 2025. Telegram also noted its proactive moderation efforts and collaboration with Etidal, which has reportedly led to the removal of over 108,000 extremist communities in 2025 alone.
Despite these efforts, Telegram continues to face global criticism, bans, and legal challenges. The app has been linked to extremist activity in various countries and remains under heavy scrutiny in the EU as regulators push for greater accountability from digital platforms operating within European borders.
To delve deeper into this topic, please read the full article Euro News.
