Apple Briefly Removes Telegram After Extortionist Posts Hidden Illegal Content

Telegram was temporarily delisted from the App Store after an attacker used AI-modified hidden content to stage a takedown ransom, highlighting new review-process exploitation risks.

Woofun AI reports that Apple briefly removed Telegram from the App Store last night following the posting of illegal pornographic material in a public group. The application was restored within hours. The attacker circumvented moderation by editing old messages in active groups to insert AI-modified content that remained invisible to regular members, thereby evading detection. This individual, identified as a "deplatforming extortionist", automates accounts to distribute such content and reports it to platforms like Apple to extort ransom payments from group admins, threatening delisting otherwise.

Pavel Durov stated that illegal content in public groups is not a systemic issue, noting that existing user reports, AI filtering, and content hash detection effectively handle violations. He warned that this incident exposes a new risk where malicious actors misuse app store review processes to disrupt legitimate community operations, urging developers to enhance content moderation and risk mitigation mechanisms.