Telegram blocked in the App Store due to child pornography

Last week the main application of the Telegram messenger and the alternative Telegram X client temporarily disappeared from the App Store. Then it was reported that the reason for the blocking was "inadmissible content," and only now Apple's vice president of marketing Phil Schiller disclosed the details of the incident.

What happened?

It turns out that the App Store received a notice of child pornography in the messenger. When the moderators confirmed the existence of illegal content, both applications were removed from the catalog, warning Telegram developers and notifying the relevant authorities. Since the service encrypts user chats, most likely the materials were distributed through third-party plug-ins.

Apple demanded to remove the prohibited content and block the users who distributed it. Only after these conditions are met, the applications returned to the store. The company also made sure that Telegram has the tools to prevent such cases in the future.

Telegram and now the official Telegram X disappeared from the App Store on the night of February 1, but by the evening they were again available for download.

Source: 9to5mac