Telegram CEO Pavel Durov attributed the temporary removal of the messaging app from Apple’s App Store to an extortion scheme involving the planting of child sexual abuse material in a public chat. According to Durov’s account, the attacker used AI-modified content inserted into an old message within an active group chat, effectively hiding it from group members and preventing them from detecting or reporting it.
Durov characterized the incident as part of a broader extortion tactic where individuals demand ransom from group owners under threat of targeting their communities with illegal content and subsequent removal requests to app stores. He stated that the attacker used automated accounts to place illicit material in public groups before reporting the content directly to Apple, with the goal of triggering the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay extortion demands.
The CEO criticized Apple’s handling of the matter, noting that the company removed Telegram from its app store without prior contact with the platform. Durov framed this as a systemic risk, arguing that if a platform with over a billion users could be removed without warning, any application hosting user-generated content faced similar vulnerability. The app was restored within hours of its removal.
Durov emphasized that illegal content in Telegram’s public groups is not a widespread problem, citing the platform’s moderation effectiveness as evidence that attackers must resort to technical tricks to evade detection. He warned other app developers and online communities about the evolving tactics of coordinated reporting operations and takedown extortionists, noting that Telegram’s experience in identifying and countering such schemes may exceed that of other platforms.
The incident occurred amid broader scrutiny of Telegram, with Russia having recently issued an arrest warrant for Durov on allegations that the platform facilitates terrorism, and France having arrested him in 2024 on charges related to enabling illegal transactions.
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