Telegram CEO says an extortionist planted CSAM in a chat to get it pulled from the App Store
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov claims that extortionists manipulated Apple into removing the app from the App Store by planting AI-modified CSAM in public chats. Durov warns that this tactic poses a systemic risk to all platforms hosting user-generated content.
Why it matters
It highlights the vulnerability of major app stores to malicious manipulation and the ongoing tension between platform moderation and automated security enforcement.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov blames an extortionist for planting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in a public chat to get the app temporarily removed from Apple’s App Store on Monday night. “Apple removed Telegram from the App Store before contacting us,” Durov says in a post on X. “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.”
Durov adds, “Extortionists have found a way to manipulate Apple into overreacting.” Apple didn’t immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.
Russia recently issued an arrest warrant for Durov, claiming the platform facilitates terrorism, and in 2024 he was arrested in France on charges including enabling illegal transactions.
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