- An attacker planted AI-modified illegal content by editing an old message in an active Telegram group. The incident was described by Pavel Durov as part of a takedown extortion scheme targeting community admins.
- Apple <br>briefly removed Telegram from the App Store without contacting the company first.
- Telegram <br>was restored within hours.
- Durov blamed a takedown extortionist and criticised Apple's overreaction to removing Telegram.
Telegram founder and chief executive Pavel Durov has claimed the messaging app’s brief removal from Apple’s App Store was the result of an organised extortion attempt that exploited AI-modified illegal content, warning that the same tactic could be used against any platform hosting user-generated content.1267
The attacker allegedly planted AI-modified illegal content by editing an old message in a public group, effectively hiding it from members and triggering a takedown after it was reported to Apple, prompting Telegram to act against the offender and then restore the service within hours.
“From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups is not a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that attackers must resort to backdated, effectively invisible content and other technical tricks proves this,” Mr. Durov claimed.
“Extortionists have found a way to manipulate Apple into overreacting. 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,” he said.
He argued the episode does not point to a widespread moderation problem on Telegram, noting that the need for AI-edited, backdated, invisible content shows Telegram’s moderation systems are generally effective at removing illegal material.
Nevertheless, Durov warned the incident exposes a broader vulnerability for all online platforms and warned that takedown extortion tactics are becoming more sophisticated, with coordinated reporting campaigns posing a growing threat to online communities across multiple platforms.
“If an app used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without prior warning, any app can be,” he said, urging developers to remain vigilant.
He also stressed that Apple’s action before contacting Telegram creates a systemic risk for apps relying on user-generated content, even as he praised Telegram’s efforts to identify abuse compared with other platforms.
The incident underscores the broader challenge facing app stores as AI enables progressively sophisticated means of bypassing moderation, forcing a balance between rapid enforcement and safeguards against malicious reporting.
“Durov said the attacker edited an old message in an active group chat to hide AI-modified illegal content, making it invisible to members. He criticized Apple for removing Telegram without prior contact, calling it a systemic risk for all apps hosting user-generated content.”
