Telegram and the Global Centre for Combating Extremist Ideology (Etidal) in Saudi Arabia have reportedly collaborated to remove 6,004,218 pieces of extremist content and the closure of 1,840 channels associated with ISIS, Al Qaeda, and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
During the operation, Etidal monitored the activity of these three terrorist organisations on Telegram and identified 2,773,902 pieces of extremist content on 477 channels belonging to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, 1,807,215 pieces of ISIS extremist content on 1,040 channels, and 1,423,101 pieces by Al Qaeda on 323 channels.
The Etidal monitoring team observed a surge in broadcasting activity on Telegram on January 9, 2023, with 451,911 content pieces shared and referenced.
Similarly, on March 27, the team recorded a peak in account creation, with over 101 channels being established in a single day. The collaboration between Etidal and Telegram has continued for two consecutive years, resulting in the removal of 21,026,169 items consisting of extremist content and the closure of 8,664 extremist channels since February 2022 until date.
