Apple’s decision to briefly remove Telegram from the App Store has been blamed on a blackmailer duping the company into executing a takedown, according to Telegram’s CEO.
“Extortionists have found a way to manipulate Apple into overreacting,” Pavel Durov tweeted.
On Monday, Apple abruptly delisted the messaging app, reportedly for violating its strict ban on hosting child sexual abuse material. "The app was subsequently restored after the developer promptly removed the content and banned the user who posted it," Apple told Bloomberg.
However, Durov says the takedown occurred “because a single user had planted illegal pornographic content in a public group chat.” The attacker inserted “AI-modified illegal content by editing an old message in an active group chat,” thus making it hard to spot and preventing it from being flagged.
“The attacker was a takedown extortionist: someone who demands ransom from group owners in exchange for not targeting their communities. These extortionists use automated accounts to plant illegal content in public groups and then report it directly to Apple, attempting to trigger the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay them,” Telegram’s CEO said.
As a result, Durov is trying to warn other software developers about the scheme.
Apple didn't directly comment about Durov's post, but the company noted that existing users could still access Telegram on Monday, despite the brief delisting.
Durov also may have felt the need to respond since Telegram has been accused of hosting criminal activities, including child porn. In 2024, he was arrested in France as part of an ongoing investigation into possible complicity with organized criminal activity.
"From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups is not a systemic problem," Durvo said on X this week. "Our moderation is effective. The fact that attackers must resort to backdated, effectively invisible content and other technical tricks proves this."
In the meantime, the app's delisting has also sparked some criticism about Apple’s control over the iOS ecosystem. Telegram initially responded to the incident by suggesting Apple had gone too far, and unfairly singled out the messaging app when other platforms have been known to circulate child sex abuse material as well. “I'm sure this stance will be applied equally to all other apps in the store, in the future, right?” Telegram tweeted.
The CEO of Epic Games, Tim Sweeney, a longtime opponent of Apple’s control over iOS, also posted: “Apple's App Store desperately needs competition worldwide. Apple capriciously removes a vital communication and privacy tool from availability to a billion users, and sadly, this is business as usual.”