Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has alleged that takedown extortionists are exploiting Apple’s App Store review process after the messaging platform was briefly removed from the App Store globally over content posted by a single user.
In a detailed statement shared after the app was reinstated, Durov said the suspension stemmed from an attacker planting illegal pornographic content in a public Telegram group using what he described as a technical workaround.
“Last night, Apple briefly removed Telegram from the App Store because a single user had planted illegal pornographic content in a public group chat,” Durov said, adding that the app was restored within hours.
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According to Durov, Telegram’s existing moderation systems, including user reports, AI-powered detection, content hashes and automated moderation tools, forced the attacker to adopt a more sophisticated approach.
“He inserted AI-modified illegal content by editing an old message in an active group chat. As a result, the content was effectively hidden from the group’s members, preventing them from seeing and promptly reporting it,” Durov said.
He claimed the individual behind the incident was a takedown extortionist who targets online communities by planting illegal content and reporting it directly to Apple in an attempt to trigger the removal of apps or communities whose owners refuse to pay ransom.
“The attacker was a takedown extortionist: someone who demands ransom from group owners in exchange for not targeting their communities,” Durov said.
The Telegram chief argued that the incident highlights a broader risk for platforms hosting user-generated content.
“Extortionists have found a way to manipulate Apple into overreacting. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store before contacting us,” he said. “If an app used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without prior warning, any app can be.”
He also warned that the tactics employed by coordinated reporting groups are becoming increasingly sophisticated and could threaten online communities across platforms.
Telegram said the incident does not reflect a systemic moderation failure, maintaining that illegal child sexual abuse material in its public groups is rare because of its enforcement mechanisms. Durov said the fact that attackers had to rely on “backdated, effectively invisible content” demonstrated the effectiveness of Telegram’s moderation systems.
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According to Reuters, Apple confirmed that Telegram was briefly removed after its review identified content violating App Store guidelines prohibiting child sexual abuse material. The company said the app was restored after Telegram promptly removed the content and banned the offending user. The removal and reinstatement occurred on the same day.
Telegram, which says it has more than one billion monthly active users, reiterated its zero-tolerance policy on child sexual abuse material and said it has blocked nearly 338,000 groups and channels linked to such content this year, Reuters reported.
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