Telegram CEO says 'takedown extortionist' was responsible for the app being briefly delisted by Apple

Telegram's CEO, Pavel Durov, asserted that a "potential systemic risk" exists for platforms utilizing user-generated content. He revealed that the app was briefly delisted from Apple's App Store due to the actions of a "takedown extortionist." In a post on X, Durov detailed how a malicious actor manipulated an old message in a group chat, making it appear as though AI-generated illegal content was present.

This orchestrated the extortion attempt, where the attacker would use automated accounts to falsely report the post to Apple if the company refused to pay to avoid removal. Apple initially removed Telegram from the App Store before making contact with the company. Durov emphasized that this incident highlights a broader systemic risk for mobile apps that host user-generated content.

He noted that responsibility for potential illegal activity among users has been a contentious issue for social media networks for years. Furthermore, he pointed out that the emergence of AI has simplified the process for extortionists to carry out such attacks, thanks to video and image editing tools in chatbots and the speed at which task-executing agents operate.