Telegram Founder Durov Warns Of 'Takedown Extortion' After App Store Removal

Telegram founder Pavel Durov warned on Thursday of an emerging cyber-enabled abuse tactic he called "takedown extortion," days after the messaging app was briefly removed from Apple's App Store.

Apple had removed Telegram from its App Store on Monday, August 3, without prior warning, citing content that violated its guidelines prohibiting child sexual abuse material. The removal prevented new users from downloading the app, though existing users continued to have access. Apple restored Telegram to the App Store the same day, saying the platform had "promptly removed the content and banned the user who posted it."

Telegram's official X account responded to the restoration with the message, "Reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated," accompanied by the Apple emoji.

Durov's Account Of The Incident

In a detailed post on X, Durov said the removal was the result of a deliberate attack by a "takedown extortionist." He explained that because Telegram actively removes illegal content from public groups, the attacker had to use a technical workaround, editing an old message in an active group chat to insert AI-modified illegal content. This made the content effectively invisible to group members, preventing them from viewing or reporting it themselves.

Durov described takedown extortionists as individuals who demand ransom from group owners in exchange for not targeting their communities. According to him, these actors use automated accounts to plant illegal content in public groups and then report it directly to platforms such as Apple, aiming to trigger the removal of communities whose owners refuse to pay.

He said Telegram's moderation systems are effective, adding that the need for attackers to use backdated and hidden content to evade detection was proof of this. However, he pointed to two concerns arising from the incident.

Durov's Warning To Other Developers

Durov said Apple removed Telegram from the App Store before contacting the company, calling this a "potential systemic risk for every mobile app that hosts user-generated content." He added, "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 also said the tactics used by takedown extortionists are evolving and putting communities across social media platforms at risk. Durov said Telegram has extensive experience identifying such coordinated reporting attempts and protecting legitimate communities, even when doing so risks the app's own removal from the App Store. He cautioned that other platforms may not be equally prepared, urging developers and communities to "stay vigilant."

The App Store removal is the latest in a string of controversies involving Telegram and Durov. The platform's billionaire founder was recently accused by Russia of aiding terrorism, while Australia has alleged that Telegram failed to block violent content on its platform. Questions around platform responsibility for user-generated content have long been a subject of debate across social media companies, and Telegram has previously faced similar scrutiny.