Grouped story
Telegram CEO blames extortionists for App Store removal
Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, claims that an extortionist planted child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in a group chat, leading to the app's temporary removal from the App Store on August 4, 2026. The app was restored within hours after Telegram addressed the issue, highlighting vulnerabilities in content moderation systems that attackers exploit to manipulate reports and extort group owners.
Key points
337,900 groups and channels related to CSAM have been removed by Telegram in 2026.
The illegal content that triggered the removal was AI-modified.
Durov noted that takedown extortionists are evolving their tactics, posing threats to communities across social platforms.