
Etidal Blocks 1.2 Million Extremist Links
The Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology (Etidal) has blocked terrorist organizations from using more than 1.2 million links to evade digital monitoring and directed users to rely on alternative content.
Etidal explained that terrorist organizations are using deceptive methods to circumvent monitoring, including the use of links to redirect users. These methods are being countered, including the removal of more than 1.2 million links during the first quarter of this year alone. This was made possible through partnership with the Telegram platform.
The content of the alternative links varies from digital files containing extremist propaganda content, websites hosting prohibited or difficult-to-track content, to groups and channels on social media platforms with weak oversight.
It is noteworthy that the Etidal recently announced its joint efforts with Telegram to combat extremist propaganda during the first quarter of 2025, removing 16,062,667 extremist content and shutting down 1,408 extremist channels. The collaboration, launched between Etidal and Telegram in February 2022, has resulted in the removal of 176,758,457 extremist materials and shutting down of 16,201 channels by the end of March 2025.
This ongoing cooperation reflects a firm commitment to the continuation of combating extremist rhetoric and striving toward a safer digital environment.
The Riyadh-based Etidal was founded in 2017 as a non-profit organization with the purpose of combating extremism.
Also read: Saudi Arabia Warns Firms to Submit Financial Statements or Face Fines

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Gulf Insider
23-05-2025
- Gulf Insider
Jihadists Launch Deadly Attack On Russian Airbase On Syria's Coast
In another clear indicator of just how drastically everything has changed in Syria in the wake of Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December last year, a militant group attempted to storm Russia's Hmeimim air base on Syria's coast on Wednesday. Already the future of the base is uncertain, but Russia has still been maintaining it – given also Hmeimim is Moscow's only airbase on the Mediterranean. 'Militants attacked a Russian air base in Syria, killing two soldiers, a Syrian government official and a local activist said Wednesday,' according to The Associated Press . Russian statements, which offered little detail, did not indicate if the slain were Russian soldiers or possibly foreign nationals who were contractors. At least two militants were killed during their assault on the airbase. They are being widely reported as foreign Islamist fighters affiliated with the new Syrian government's military under President Sharaa (Jolani). The Jolani/HTS government has tried to distance itself from the attack, as it is still seeking diplomatic normalization with Russia and a reset in relations: The government official said the two militants who were killed were foreign nationals who had worked as military trainers at a naval college that was training members of the new government's military. He said they had acted on their own in attacking the base and were not officially affiliated with any faction. Damascus has on Thursday deployed additional forces in an effort to stabilize the security situation in villages near the airbase. 'The city of Jableh and the villages surrounding the Russian Hmeimim air base in the Jableh countryside are witnessing a security alert. Heavy deployment of public security forces has been observed in the villages of Al-Sharashir and Al-Qubaisa, both close to the base,' the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) says. SOHR had further described 'clashes in which medium and heavy machine guns were used, coinciding with the sounding of alarm sirens inside the base' – when the incident unfolded. One regional outlet has said Russian soldiers were killed, and that it was Uzbek terrorists behind the assault: According to a report by the Erem outlet, the 20 May attack resulted in the killing of three Russian soldiers and the injury of at least six others. The report says the attack was carried out by an Uzbek-led faction, which afterwards began to mobilize in the village of Al-Sharashir, just two kilometers from the base. Erem also said the Uzbek armed group, responsible for past atrocities including the killing of children, have displaced and intimidated scores of residents and have seized homes in in the nearby town. This coastal area near Latakia has for months seen attacks and massacres conducted by Islamic militant factions against the minority Alawite community of Syria. Christians and Druze have also been targeted. Thousands of Alawites have been reported killed, and while the Jolani government has formally condemned the killings, eyewitnesses have consistently said the attacks had the involvement of HTS (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) fighters, which remains the ruling faction in Damascus. During the height of the sectarian killings, Alawite families sought refuge at Hmeimim air base in large numbers. Many thousands have been camped out on the base tarmac, with at times Russian troops seen handing out food and water and necessities of survival. Back in March, Alawites expressed their distrust of HTS provided 'security'… HTS AlQaeda reps try to convince Syrian Alawi refugees to leave the Russian Hmeimim air base and go home. "Trust us now, mistakes happen, things got out of control". — tim anderson (@timand2037) March 18, 2025 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier this week expressed particular concern about the chaotic situation in Syria, where he said extremist militant groups are carrying out 'real ethnic cleansing and mass killings based on ethnic and sectarian identity'. He blasted what he called the West's 'stunning' indifference to mass killings acts of terrorism. The strong comments followed in the wake of President Trump meeting with Syria's Sharaa while in Saudi Arabia earlier this month. This stunned even some Washington officials, given that Sharaa/Jolani has long been a US-designated terrorist. Trump has said he wants to give Syria a fresh start, and also announced the US will drop sanctions. Click here to read more…


Daily Tribune
23-05-2025
- Daily Tribune
France denies Telegram founder's request to visit US
TDT | Paris France denies Telegram founder's request to visit US Paris, France France has denied a req u e st by Te l e g ra m founder Pavel Durov to travel to the United States for talks with investment funds, prosecutors said yesterday. Durov, 40, was sensationally detained in Paris in 2024 and is under formal investigation by French authorities over illegal content on his popular messaging service. In March, Durov was allowed to leave France and travel to Dubai, where his company is based. Durov had 'requested authorisation to travel to the United States to negotiate with investment funds for his company Telegram', said the Paris public prosecutor's office and the office for the fight against organised crime (JUNALCO). Prosecutors said the decision was made on May 12.


Gulf Insider
19-05-2025
- Gulf Insider
Etidal Blocks 1.2 Million Extremist Links
The Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology (Etidal) has blocked terrorist organizations from using more than 1.2 million links to evade digital monitoring and directed users to rely on alternative content. Etidal explained that terrorist organizations are using deceptive methods to circumvent monitoring, including the use of links to redirect users. These methods are being countered, including the removal of more than 1.2 million links during the first quarter of this year alone. This was made possible through partnership with the Telegram platform. The content of the alternative links varies from digital files containing extremist propaganda content, websites hosting prohibited or difficult-to-track content, to groups and channels on social media platforms with weak oversight. It is noteworthy that the Etidal recently announced its joint efforts with Telegram to combat extremist propaganda during the first quarter of 2025, removing 16,062,667 extremist content and shutting down 1,408 extremist channels. The collaboration, launched between Etidal and Telegram in February 2022, has resulted in the removal of 176,758,457 extremist materials and shutting down of 16,201 channels by the end of March 2025. This ongoing cooperation reflects a firm commitment to the continuation of combating extremist rhetoric and striving toward a safer digital environment. The Riyadh-based Etidal was founded in 2017 as a non-profit organization with the purpose of combating extremism. Also read: Saudi Arabia Warns Firms to Submit Financial Statements or Face Fines