Why Apple keeps pulling Telegram from the App Store while X stays put
Apple briefly removed Telegram from the App Store this week over child sexual abuse material, while X remains available despite a scandal involving Grok-generated deepfakes of children. Experts say the difference may come down to politics rather than policy.
Telegram briefly disappeared from Apple's App Store this week for about an hour. Apple later said the app was pulled after child sexual abuse material (CSAM) was found on the platform, and restored once the content was removed. It wasn't the first time — Apple briefly removed Telegram for a similar reason back in 2018.
The incident reignited questions about the consistency of Apple's moderation decisions, particularly compared to its treatment of X, Elon Musk's platform, which has remained in the App Store even after sexualized, AI-generated images of children created via its Grok chatbot spread across the site.
A political calculation
Anupam Chander, a law and technology professor at Georgetown, says pulling an entire platform exposes a company to significant backlash. Telegram, headquartered in Dubai, has long faced pressure from governments — from threats in Indonesia in 2017 to Germany's 2022 consideration of a ban. In 2024, French authorities arrested Telegram founder Pavel Durov over allegations tied to illegal transactions and CSAM, and last month Russia charged him with facilitating terrorism.
X, by contrast, enjoys far stronger political backing in the United States, according to Chander, meaning its removal would likely trigger a much bigger backlash for Apple. After X rolled out a Grok-powered image-editing feature last year, AI-generated deepfakes undressing adults and children spread on the platform, prompting international condemnation, an EU investigation, and multiple lawsuits, including one against xAI over sexualized images of minors.
Despite the pressure, Apple never removed X or Grok from the App Store. Instead, it reportedly worked behind the scenes, asking the companies to improve content moderation. In a letter to US senators, Apple said X had largely resolved its violations, but told Grok's team further changes were still needed or the app could face removal.
Durov claims Apple pulled Telegram without contacting the company beforehand. Apple declined to comment on the differences in how it handled the two apps.
