Telegram CEO Pavel Durov says the messaging app was briefly removed from Apple’s App Store after attackers allegedly planted child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in a public Telegram chat as part of an extortion scheme.
In a statement posted on X, Durov claimed Apple removed Telegram from the App Store before contacting the company. Although the app was restored within hours, he argued that the incident highlights a broader risk for platforms that host user-generated content.
According to Durov, the attackers used automated accounts to upload illegal content into public groups and then reported it directly to Apple in an attempt to have legitimate communities removed after their owners refused to pay extortion demands. He alleged that, in this case, the attacker edited an older message in an active group chat to insert AI-generated illegal content, making it difficult for group members to notice or report it before Apple acted.
Durov said Telegram already uses a range of moderation tools to detect and remove illegal material from public groups, but claimed the attackers exploited a technical loophole to bypass normal moderation.
He warned that if a platform with more than a billion users can be temporarily removed without prior notice, similar tactics could be used against other apps that rely on user-generated content.
Apple has not publicly commented on Durov’s allegations.
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