AQAP Develops Its Own Version of Reddit’s AMA and Twitter’s Blue Checkmark Verification

Over the past year, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has made a substantial shift in its communications strategy. For years, the group communicated through a methodical process that involved official statements issuedthrough official websites, along with videos released by its media arm, al Malahem Media. Sinceearly 2014, the group has deployed social media operatives on Twitter to spread its message and to engage with its followers and critics alike.

Under pressure from the U.S. government,...