Over the past few months a sustained operation led by EU law enforcement agency Europol has resulted in the disruption and fragmentation of Islamic State channels on encrypted messaging app Telegram, once a haven for the terror group’s propaganda content and incitement.
Often dubbed Islamic State’s ‘app of choice’, Telegram became the go-to platform for Islamic State and other terror groups after mainstream social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook introduced stricter rules and swifter crackdowns on egregious content online. While Telegram did initiate a coordinated takedown of Islamic State channels in the aftermath of the 2015 Paris attacks, further deletions were never sustained or kept up allowing Islamic State along with various other terror groups to set up shop on the messaging platform and spread their propaganda via a series of channels, bots, and groups.