TELEGRAM CEO BLAMES EXTORTIONIST FOR APP STORE REMOVAL

Telegram was temporarily removed from Apple's App Store on Monday after illegal content was planted in a public chat, according to Pavel Durov, the app's founder and chief executive. Durov claimed on X that an extortionist inserted AI-modified illegal content by editing an old message in an active group chat. He alleged the attacker used automated accounts to report the content to Apple, attempting to trigger the app's removal after the company refused to pay an extortion demand. Apple restored Telegram to the App Store within hours. Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the circumstances of the removal or Durov's allegations.

Durov characterised the incident as part of a broader pattern of manipulation targeting platforms with user-generated content. He stated that extortionists deliberately plant illegal material in public groups and then report it to Apple to pressure app owners into paying them. The technical sophistication involved reflects the evolving capabilities of artificial intelligence tools, which have made such attacks potentially easier to execute at scale. Durov framed the removal as problematic because Apple acted without prior contact with Telegram.

Durov argued the incident presents a systemic risk to all mobile applications that host user-generated content. He warned that if an app used by more than a billion people could be removed without advance notice, any application faced similar vulnerability. The episode adds to an established pattern of scrutiny around Telegram: Russia issued an arrest warrant for Durov last year claiming the platform facilitates terrorism, and he was arrested in France in 2024 on charges including enabling illegal transactions. Questions about platforms' responsibility for user-generated content remain contested among regulators, technology companies and civil liberties advocates.