TELEGRAM CEO SAYS AN EXTORTIONIST PLANTED CSAM IN A CHAT TO GET IT PULLED FROM THE APP STORE

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov accused an extortionist of planting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in a public chat to force Apple to remove the messaging app from its App Store on Monday night. Durov said the app was taken down before Telegram was contacted.

In a post on X, Durov warned that Apple’s swift action creates a potential systemic risk for all mobile apps that host user‑generated content. He added, ‘Extortionists have found a way to manipulate Apple into overreacting.’ Apple has not yet responded to The Verge’s request for comment. Al Jazeera reports that the suspension followed a content‑norms violation by a single user, implying that the CSAM was inserted by an individual.

Telegram, with more than a billion users, is one of the largest messaging platforms, making its removal from the App Store a significant disruption for iOS users. The incident raises questions about how app stores handle user‑generated content and the potential for malicious actors to exploit enforcement mechanisms.

• Telegram CEO blames an extortionist for planting CSAM to trigger Apple’s removal of the app.
• Apple removed Telegram from the App Store before reaching out to the company.
• Durov warns that this incident exposes systemic risk to all user‑generated content apps.

Read the original source for full detail available at The Verge src