As some of you might have heard, just the other day, Telegram briefly vanished from the Apple App Store. It turns out that this was due to CSAM being discovered in the app. But it turns out it might have been a malicious tactic. This is according to Telegram CEO Pavel Durov who blamed “extortionist” for the app’s removal from the App Store.
Telegram CEO explains reason behind App Store removal
In a post on X, Telegram CEO Durov said that the App Store removal was due to “extortionists.” Durov claims that because Telegram works quickly to remove illegal content from public groups, the attacker had to come up with a workaround.
He said, “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/reporting it.”
The CEO also called the attacker an “extortionist,” whose goal is to demand ransom in exchange for not targeting public group 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.”
Based on his post, it also feels like he’s blaming Apple for “overreacting.” He claims Apple removed the app without warning, which means that it could happen to other developers too. “Apple removed Telegram from the App Store before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for every mobile app that hosts user-generated content. If an app used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without prior warning, any app can be.”
Telegram’s controversies
That being said, Telegram isn’t completely innocent. The platform is known to host all kinds of questionable content, whether it be porn or gambling. Publicly, the company’s policies do forbid certain types of content. But at the same time, there is a reason many of these illegal groups continue to operate on it.
It is also not the first time Telegram has run afoul of Apple’s App Store’s policies. The company has also been known, at least in the past, for being somewhat resistant when it comes to cooperating with law enforcement.
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