Telegram Restored to Apple App Store After Brief Suspension Over Illegal Content.

Messaging platform Telegram was briefly removed from Apple's App Store worldwide after Apple identified content involving child sexual abuse material that had been shared by a single user.

According to Apple, the app was restored on the same day after Telegram acted quickly by removing the illegal content and permanently banning the account responsible.

Telegram stated that the suspension resulted from the actions of one user and reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy toward child sexual abuse material. The company said it has blocked nearly 338,000 groups and channels linked to such content so far this year.

The incident is similar to a 2018 suspension, when Apple temporarily removed Telegram before restoring it after the company strengthened its content moderation measures.

The platform, which has more than one billion monthly active users, remains under regulatory scrutiny in several countries over its handling of illegal content. UK regulator Ofcom is investigating allegations related to the spread of child sexual abuse material, while Australia's online safety regulator previously fined Telegram for delays in responding to questions about its efforts to combat harmful content.

Meanwhile, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney questioned Apple's decision, arguing that if an entire messaging app can be removed because of content posted by a single user, the same standard could potentially affect other large communication platforms.

• Tweet
• Share
• Share
• Share
• Share