Telegram founder Pavel Durov has warned app developers of an emerging method of cyber abuse he calls takedown extortion, days after Apple briefly pulled Telegram from its App Store following a coordinated attack in which illegal content was planted inside one of the platform's public group chats.
Durov posted his account of the incident on X on 4 August, saying Apple removed Telegram without prior contact or warning. The app was restored within hours. Durov said he was making the attack public to alert other developers and online communities to what he described as an evolving and systemic threat.
