Telegram CEO: Extortionist planted CSAM to get app pulled from App Store
▼ Summary
– Telegram CEO Pavel Durov claims an extortionist planted child sexual abuse material in a public chat, causing Apple to temporarily remove the app from the App Store on Monday night.
– Durov says Apple removed Telegram without prior contact, warning this creates a systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content.
– He argues that if an app used by over a billion people can be removed without warning, any app could face the same fate.
– Durov states extortionists have found a way to manipulate Apple into overreacting.
– Apple has not yet responded to The Verge’s request for comment.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is accusing an extortionist of orchestrating the messaging platform’s temporary removal from Apple’s App Store on Monday night by planting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in a public chat. In a post on X, Durov claims Apple pulled Telegram from its storefront without any prior contact, a move he says signals a broader vulnerability for the entire app ecosystem.
“Apple removed Telegram from the App Store before contacting us,” Durov wrote. “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 went on to say that “extortionists have found a way to manipulate Apple into overreacting.” Apple has not yet responded to requests for comment from The Verge.
(Source: The Verge)
