CUPERTINO, United States – Apple briefly removed Telegram from its App Store worldwide after identifying a user who shared child sexual abuse material (CSAM), before restoring the messaging platform later the same day.
Okay News reports that Apple said its review found content that violated App Store rules prohibiting child sexual abuse material. According to the company, Telegram acted quickly by removing the offending content and permanently banning the account responsible, allowing the app to return to the store.
Telegram confirmed the temporary removal, describing it as similar to a 2018 incident when the app was briefly suspended over inappropriate content before being reinstated after stronger moderation measures were introduced. The platform, which says it has more than one billion monthly active users, maintains that it has a zero-tolerance policy on child sexual abuse material and has blocked nearly 338,000 groups and channels linked to such content this year.
Following Apple’s explanation, Telegram questioned whether the same standard would be applied consistently to other messaging apps. Epic Games Chief Executive Tim Sweeney also criticised the decision, arguing that removing an entire communications platform because of the actions of a single user raises broader questions about how large-scale messaging services are expected to operate.
Telegram has faced increasing regulatory scrutiny over its content moderation practices. Earlier this year, Ofcom in the United Kingdom opened an investigation into allegations involving child sexual abuse material, while Australia’s online safety regulator fined the company for delays in responding to questions about its efforts to combat child abuse and violent extremist content. Telegram has denied failing to address the issue, saying its detection systems have significantly reduced the spread of such material since 2018.
