Telegram Under Attack, CEO Pavel Durov Explains What’s Happening

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

The attacker was a ransom-seeking extortionist focused on removing content: someone who asks for a ransom from the group owners in exchange for agreeing not to attack their communities. These extortionists use automated accounts to insert illegal content into public groups and then report them directly to Apple, in an attempt to trigger the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay.

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

The attacker was a ransom-seeking extortionist focused on removing content: someone who asks for a ransom from the group owners in exchange for agreeing not to attack their communities. These extortionists use automated accounts to insert illegal content into public groups and then report them directly to Apple, in an attempt to trigger the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay.

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

The attacker was a ransom-seeking extortionist focused on removing content: someone who asks for a ransom from the group owners in exchange for agreeing not to attack their communities. These extortionists use automated accounts to insert illegal content into public groups and then report them directly to Apple, in an attempt to trigger the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay.

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

The attacker was a ransom-seeking extortionist focused on removing content: someone who asks for a ransom from the group owners in exchange for agreeing not to attack their communities. These extortionists use automated accounts to insert illegal content into public groups and then report them directly to Apple, in an attempt to trigger the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay.

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

The attacker was a ransom-seeking extortionist focused on removing content: someone who asks for a ransom from the group owners in exchange for agreeing not to attack their communities. These extortionists use automated accounts to insert illegal content into public groups and then report them directly to Apple, in an attempt to trigger the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay.

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

The attacker was a ransom-seeking extortionist focused on removing content: someone who asks for a ransom from the group owners in exchange for agreeing not to attack their communities. These extortionists use automated accounts to insert illegal content into public groups and then report them directly to Apple, in an attempt to trigger the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay.

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

The attacker was a ransom-seeking extortionist focused on removing content: someone who asks for a ransom from the group owners in exchange for agreeing not to attack their communities. These extortionists use automated accounts to insert illegal content into public groups and then report them directly to Apple, in an attempt to trigger the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay.

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

The attacker was a ransom-seeking extortionist focused on removing content: someone who asks for a ransom from the group owners in exchange for agreeing not to attack their communities. These extortionists use automated accounts to insert illegal content into public groups and then report them directly to Apple, in an attempt to trigger the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay.

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

The attacker was a ransom-seeking extortionist focused on removing content: someone who asks for a ransom from the group owners in exchange for agreeing not to attack their communities. These extortionists use automated accounts to insert illegal content into public groups and then report them directly to Apple, in an attempt to trigger the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay.

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

The attacker was a ransom-seeking extortionist focused on removing content: someone who asks for a ransom from the group owners in exchange for agreeing not to attack their communities. These extortionists use automated accounts to insert illegal content into public groups and then report them directly to Apple, in an attempt to trigger the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay.

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

The attacker was a ransom-seeking extortionist focused on removing content: someone who asks for a ransom from the group owners in exchange for agreeing not to attack their communities. These extortionists use automated accounts to insert illegal content into public groups and then report them directly to Apple, in an attempt to trigger the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay.

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

The attacker was a ransom-seeking extortionist focused on removing content: someone who asks for a ransom from the group owners in exchange for agreeing not to attack their communities. These extortionists use automated accounts to insert illegal content into public groups and then report them directly to Apple, in an attempt to trigger the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay.

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

The attacker was a ransom-seeking extortionist focused on removing content: someone who asks for a ransom from the group owners in exchange for agreeing not to attack their communities. These extortionists use automated accounts to insert illegal content into public groups and then report them directly to Apple, in an attempt to trigger the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay.

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

The attacker was a ransom-seeking extortionist focused on removing content: someone who asks for a ransom from the group owners in exchange for agreeing not to attack their communities. These extortionists use automated accounts to insert illegal content into public groups and then report them directly to Apple, in an attempt to trigger the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay.

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

The attacker was a ransom-seeking extortionist focused on removing content: someone who asks for a ransom from the group owners in exchange for agreeing not to attack their communities. These extortionists use automated accounts to insert illegal content into public groups and then report them directly to Apple, in an attempt to trigger the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay.

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

The attacker was a ransom-seeking extortionist focused on removing content: someone who asks for a ransom from the group owners in exchange for agreeing not to attack their communities. These extortionists use automated accounts to insert illegal content into public groups and then report them directly to Apple, in an attempt to trigger the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay.

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

The attacker was a ransom-seeking extortionist focused on removing content: someone who asks for a ransom from the group owners in exchange for agreeing not to attack their communities. These extortionists use automated accounts to insert illegal content into public groups and then report them directly to Apple, in an attempt to trigger the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay.

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

The attacker was a ransom-seeking extortionist focused on removing content: someone who asks for a ransom from the group owners in exchange for agreeing not to attack their communities. These extortionists use automated accounts to insert illegal content into public groups and then report them directly to Apple, in an attempt to trigger the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay.

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

The attacker was a ransom-seeking extortionist focused on removing content: someone who asks for a ransom from the group owners in exchange for agreeing not to attack their communities. These extortionists use automated accounts to insert illegal content into public groups and then report them directly to Apple, in an attempt to trigger the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay.

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

Telegram, the well-known messaging platform, was suddenly removed from Apple’s App Store during Monday night, triggering immediate reactions and raising critical questions about the moderation of digital services.

According to statements by the founder and CEO Pavel Durov, the incident was not caused by an internal violation of the guidelines, but by an orchestrated attack by genuine extortionists.

These actors would have exploited the app’s public groups to insert child sexual abuse material, thereby forcing Apple to take restrictive action.

The incident highlights the vulnerabilities of monitoring/control systems in the face of sophisticated external manipulations, shedding light on a systemic risk for all apps that rely on free sharing of files and texts.

The Telegram case, removed from the App Store due to targeted attacks

The attackers’ strategy relies on a particularly advanced evasion technique. Durov explained that the extortionists employ fully automated accounts to infiltrate legitimate communities.

Instead of posting new, easily detectable messages, the criminals go to modify old conversations within active chats, inserting illegal content altered with artificial intelligence tools.

This specific operation prevents both group members and moderators from noticing the violation and reporting it in time. Once the illicit material is placed, the criminals directly report the groups to Apple, threatening the owners of the communities to shut down their channels unless a ransom is paid.

Criticisms of Apple and the Risks for All Apps

The intervention by the California-based company was swift and uncompromising. The temporary removal of Telegram, a service regularly used by over 1 billion people worldwide, occurred without any prior notice or direct contact with the messaging platform’s leadership.

Through a post on X, the founder highlighted how the extortionists identified a procedural flaw capable of pushing Apple toward disproportionate reactions.

The executive warns that this dynamic creates a serious precedent for any mobile software hosting user-generated content. If a service of that size can be blocked immediately without prior notice, every other application is equally exposed to such extortion.

Currently, Apple has not yet issued official statements to the press regarding its decision.

A Period of Strong Legal Pressure

The recent clash with App Store policies comes at a historically complex moment for the company’s leadership. During 2024, Pavel Durov faced a sensational arrest in France, based on charges related to facilitating illicit transactions through his encrypted platform.

Separately, the authorities in Russia issued an arrest warrant against him, arguing that the app facilitates the organization of activities related to terrorism.

The new tensions surrounding illicit material planted by the extortionists add further pressure to the service’s operational management and its global reputation.

Below is Durov’s original message, translated:

“Last night, Apple temporarily removed Telegram from the App Store because a user had posted illegal pornography in a public chat.

Telegram was restored within a few hours. But I would like to explain what happened, to warn other app developers and help protect online communities from similar attacks.

Because Telegram quickly removes illegal content from public groups using all kinds of moderation tools, the attacker had to resort to a technical ploy. He inserted illegal content modified via artificial intelligence by altering an old message in an active group chat. Consequently, the content was effectively hidden from group members, preventing them from seeing it or reporting it.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

The attacker was a ransom-seeking extortionist focused on removing content: someone who asks for a ransom from the group owners in exchange for agreeing not to attack their communities. These extortionists use automated accounts to insert illegal content into public groups and then report them directly to Apple, in an attempt to trigger the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay.

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️

The attacker was a ransom-seeking extortionist focused on removing content: someone who asks for a ransom from the group owners in exchange for agreeing not to attack their communities. These extortionists use automated accounts to insert illegal content into public groups and then report them directly to Apple, in an attempt to trigger the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay.

From a practical standpoint, illegal pornographic content in Telegram’s public groups does not pose a systemic problem. Our moderation is effective. The fact that the attackers have to resort to retroactive, effectively invisible content, and other technical tricks, demonstrates this.

⚠️ However, there are two important lessons to draw for app developers and online communities:

— The extortionists have found a way to influence Apple and prompt it to react disproportionately. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store even before contacting us. This creates a potential systemic risk for any mobile app hosting user-generated content. If a service used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without notice, the same could happen to any app.

— The tactics used by extortionists targeting content removal are evolving, risking communities across all social platforms. Telegram has extensive experience in identifying the stratagems used by organized groups that carry out coordinated reports and in protecting legitimate communities (even when this risks our own app being temporarily removed from the App Store). Other platforms may not be as prepared.

Stay vigilant! ✌️