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Telegram iOS app removed from App Store last week due to child pornography
The encrypted messaging app Telegram was mysteriously removed from Apple's App Store last week for a number of hours. At the time, little was known about the reason why, except that it had to do with "inappropriate content." According to a 9to5Mac report, Apple removed Telegram after the app was found serving up child pornography to users.
A verified email from Phil Schiller details that Apple was alerted to child pornography in the Telegram app, immediately verified the existence of the content, and removed the app from its online stores. Apple then notified Telegram and the authorities, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Telegram apps were only allowed to be restored to the App Store after Telegram removed the inappropriate content and reportedly banned the users who posted it.
[...] Since Telegram is a messaging app with end-to-end encryption, it's unlikely that the content in question originated from direct messages between users. It's possible that the child pornography came from a Telegram plugin, but neither Apple nor Telegram has revealed the source of the inappropriate content.
Telegram is an instant messaging service with at least 100 million monthly active users.
Also at The Verge and Apple Insider.
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(Score: 2) by physicsmajor on Wednesday February 07 2018, @09:57AM (5 children)
So Telegram is supposed to be end to end encrypted. If it really is, there should be no way for Apple to verify if any content is present.
So either that's a lie, perhaps to cover a mistake at Apple, or Telegram isn't truly end to end encrypted and Apple can inspect content as the middleman.
Neither is acceptable.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday February 07 2018, @10:11AM
Someone shared a public key, that enabled decryption? Or, someone accidentally published a private key? It isn't terribly unusual for someone to misconfigure a client. I'm not defending either Telegram or apple here, I'm just offering alternative scenarios in which the public might be decrypting an encrypted file.
They also blame a plugin that can be installed in Telegram, without naming that plugin. It seems reasonable that the plugin was implemented in some stupid manner that defeated encryption. Or, that the content was intentionally served to all users who had installed the plugin.
Without more details, we can only speculate about the security of Telegram, and it's plugins.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2018, @11:30AM
Telegram is not end-to-end encrypted by default. You have to start a "secret chat" to use end-to-end.
(Score: 3, Informative) by romlok on Wednesday February 07 2018, @02:06PM
I believe Telegram also has public groups which anyone can join and chat. My guess is that one of these groups was being used to share child porn, and that group was being listed or suggested to new users of the app.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2018, @03:48PM
Good job reading the summary, Sparky.
(Score: 2) by legont on Thursday February 08 2018, @03:48AM
In a nutshell, besides regular chats, Telegram has groups and channels. Groups are private and its protection is up to the members. Telegram does not and if security is set can not censor them.
Channels on the other hand can be read by anybody and telegram can and will remove content if it is objectionable. They do it using volunteer labor.
Details can be found here https://telegram.org/faq#groups-supergroups-and-channels [telegram.org]
People use channels for all kinds of commercial activities. Specialized bots are very popular.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.