Encrypted Online Platform ‘Chirpwire’ Used By Al-Qa’ida Media

Fortify Security Team
Jul 8, 2021

Al-Qa’ida (AQ), like the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS), has experienced persistent suspensions of their accounts across various online platforms. In a continued effort to maintain their online presence, AQ is now using the encrypted online platform called Chirpwire for propaganda releases. Although there is a small presence of ISIS-aligned accounts, Chirpwire is predominantly used by AQ, and has become a hub for their official and aligned media organizations. Most, if not all, of the media organizations for AQ and their franchise groups are currently represented on Chirpwire. At this time, AQ official and aligned media organizations are exploiting the ‘group’ feature of Chirpwire and the ability for direct viewing and downloading files. Although these groups do not have a high number of subscribers, most of the groups are open and the content can be viewed without having to join. Presently, there does not appear to be any censorship or account removals, allowing these groups to serve as an archive for official messages and videos.

 

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