Publication in Russian on the Zen blog
https://dzen.ru/a/afNViAy8VweLwYBq
Max and Cloudflare: algorithm error or the end of trust? Cloudflare has marked the Max messenger as spyware. A mistake or a verdict?
The morning of April 29th was truly disturbing for the creators and users of the Russian messenger Max. The Cloudflare cloud platform classified the max domain as "spyware", which immediately triggered a wave of panic on the network. It is important to clarify right away: this is not a public accusation or a court decision, but a technical label assigned by the Cloudflare Radar automatic monitoring system. The service scans billions of requests in real time, identifying suspicious patterns, and in this case, the algorithms worked against Max.
The reason for this decision was the behavioral features of the application, which Cloudflare automation considered a threat. Active verification of VPN status on users' devices, massive requests to server IP addresses to bypass locks, and atypical amounts of web analytics, which the system interpreted as an attempt to collect metadata or hidden tracking, came under suspicion. The Max developers hastened to issue an official denial, calling the incident a technical error of interpretation. They cite the Bug Bounty program, open source, and recent security audits from KPMG and Positive Technologies, claiming that there is no surveillance, and the camera or microphone is activated strictly on the user's initiative.
However, users are not so easily convinced, especially against the background of the recent precedent with the Telegram messenger, which went through a similar scenario in April 2026. Then the "spyware" tag from Cloudflare led to the revocation of the GlobalSign TLS certificate and subsequent removal from the App Store, after which the project effectively ceased to exist. The comparison with Telega was the main trigger for the Max audience. Despite the fact that the app is still available in stores at the moment, and the security certificates are active, the reputational blow turned out to be enormous. In the first 24 hours after the incident, the number of downloads dropped by 67%, and social networks were filled with distrust, reinforced by the hashtag #Delete.
The skepticism of users is fueled by objective technical problems of the application, which became apparent long before the incident with Cloudflare. Max is criticized for unstable notifications, an overloaded "harvester" instead of a messenger, high battery consumption, lags and the lack of end-to-end encryption (E2EE) by default. When an application requests more than 60 permissions in Android, and then falls into the category of "spyware" even at the automation level, any excuses by developers about "audits" are perceived as an attempt to justify themselves. Even if Cloudflare removes the label in a couple of days — as it sometimes happens after appeals — trust in the platform has already been undermined.
The political background around Max only adds fuel to the fire. Earlier, there were statements about the possibility of checking the messenger's critics for "foreign influence," which in the eyes of users turned the application from just a "raw" product into a tool around which a toxic atmosphere is being built. As a result, Max found himself in a situation where the technical classification of traffic was the last straw. Experts agree that 40-60% of the audience may leave irrevocably. The Max story clearly shows that in today's digital world, trust is the most fragile asset: it cannot be restored either by appeals to technical support or audit reports if the product does not work like clockwork and raises questions about its safety.
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