Twitter cracking down on Trump-backing conspiracy theory QAnon

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Twitter has said it will crack down on accounts and content related to QAnon, the far-right US conspiracy theory popular among supporters of Donald Trump.

The measures include banning accounts associated with QAnon content, as well as blocking URLs associated with it from being shared on the platform.

Twitter also said it will stop highlighting and recommending tweets associated with QAnon.

“We’ve been clear that we will take strong enforcement action on behaviour that has the potential to lead to offline harm,” the company said in a tweet.

Twitter on a phone
(Andrew Matthews/PA)

Accounts that are “engaged in violations of our multi-account policy, co-ordinating abuse around individual victims, or are attempting to evade a previous suspension” will be suspended permanently, according to Twitter.

Read on...

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The QAnon conspiracy theory is centred on the baseless belief that the president is waging a secret campaign against enemies in the “deep state” and a child sex trafficking ring run by satanic paedophiles and cannibals.

For more than two years, followers have pored over tangled clues purportedly posted online by a high-ranking government official known only as Q.

The conspiracy theory emerged in a dark corner of the internet but has been creeping into the mainstream political arena.

Trump has retweeted QAnon-promoting accounts and its followers flock to his rallies wearing clothes and hats with QAnon symbols and slogans.

Twitter’s move follows in the footsteps of Facebook, which in May also removed several groups, accounts and pages against QAnon.

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  • Show Comments
    1. “Baseless”? Really?

      Epstein ring any bells?

      And of course America has its Deep State, aka “Imperial Establishment”.

      Baseless indeed! Shoddy and cheap churnalism, the Canary can do much better!

      While Qanon is largely batshit crazy and misses the other REAL dangers (such as Trump’s megalomania, unholy greed, growing paranoia, massive corruption, political demogoguery), and I’ve personally seen two good people go schitz over this incredibly well-designed propaganda – I’ve also seen at least one person go schitz over icke’s “invisible aliens in league with shape-shifting lizards” batshit spiel as well. And virtually everyone I know has been driven batshit insane by the ‘normal’ corporate media.

      So this could really be seen as yet another testing of the Censorship Path by Big Tech – NOT something that we should be cheering on!

      How long until we all get Brownie Points for saying “The Right Thing (and ONLY The Right Thing)” on social media?

      So that is double the wrong in the article.

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