In a significant achievement reflecting the success of strategic partnerships in protecting the digital space, the ongoing cooperation between the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology (Etidal) and the social media platform Telegram yielded record results during 2025. The two parties successfully launched preemptive strikes against extremist organizations, removing 97,611,787 pieces of extremist material and shutting down 4,294 channels that were being used as platforms for disseminating toxic ideologies and spreading terrorist propaganda.
Details of the digital confrontation in 2025
Statistical reports revealed a precise distribution of the results of these joint efforts throughout the year, demonstrating the continuity of monitoring and follow-up:
- First quarter (January-March): More than 16 million pieces of extremist material were removed and 1,408 channels were shut down.
- Second quarter (April-June): The pace of the fight intensified, with more than 30.8 million items being removed across 1,254 channels.
- Third quarter (July-September): resulted in the removal of approximately 28.5 million items and the closure of 1,150 channels.
- Fourth quarter (October-December): The year ended with the deletion of more than 22.2 million items and the closure of 482 channels.
Context of cooperation and its strategic importance
These efforts are an extension of the cooperation agreement launched in February 2022, which aims to enhance the protection of digital platforms from exploitation by extremist groups. Telegram is one of the platforms where terrorist organizations attempt to exploit its encryption features to spread their propaganda. However, cooperation with Etidal has proven highly effective in monitoring extremist patterns using the latest software technologies and specialized human expertise.
In terms of cumulative figures, the total number of extremist materials removed since the start of this digital alliance until the end of December 2025 reached an astronomical figure of 258,307,577 extremist materials, with 19,087 channels being shut down, reflecting the scale of the challenge and the effort made to purify cyberspace.
International impact and Saudi leadership
This achievement reflects the leading role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the Etidal Center, established in Riyadh in 2017, in spearheading international efforts to combat terrorism ideologically and technologically. The significance of these operations lies in the fact that they not only remove content but also sever the communication channels used by terrorist organizations to recruit and indoctrinate young people, thus contributing directly to strengthening international peace and security.
The success in removing millions of extremist content confirms that the confrontation with extremist thought is no longer traditional, but has become a technological war that requires constant vigilance and continuous development of monitoring and analysis tools, which is embodied by the successful partnership model between “Etidal” and “Telegram”.
