Twitter Cracks Down on QAnon Associated Accounts, Citing Potential for Offline Harm

Twitter announced Tuesday night that it’s taking comprehensive action to limit the reach of QAnon content by banning associated accounts and blocking associated URLs from being shared.

We’ve been clear that we will take strong enforcement action on behavior that has the potential to lead to offline harm. In line with this approach, this week we are taking further action on so-called ‘QAnon’ activity across the service.
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) July 22, 2020

In addition, we will:

1? No longer serve content and accounts associated with QAnon in Trends and recommendations
2? Work to ensure we’re not highlighting this activity in search and conversations
3? Block URLs associated with QAnon from being shared on Twitter
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) July 22, 2020

Twitter has removed more than 7,000 accounts over the last few weeks for such violations and expects over 150,000 accounts globally to have reduced visibility due to these measures.

The QAnon conspiracy theory is centered on the groundless notion that Trump has been waging a secret campaign against enemies in the so-called “deep state” — including Democratic politicians and liberal Hollywood celebrities — who have been operating a global child sex trafficking ring. These pedophiles are said to worship Satan, and Trump was elected specifically to fight them.

The conspiracy theory is, of course, popular among many of Trump’s extreme supporters, with rally attendees sporting QAnon symbols and slogans on clothing and hats.

Trump himself has consistently fueled the fire of such lunacy. As recently as 10 days ago, on July 12, 2020, he retweeted 14 messages from accounts supporting QAnon.

According to an analysis by Media Matters, Trump has retweeted at least 185 posts from 114 individual pro-QAnon accounts. Just since the coronavirus pandemic began, he’s retweeted at least 90 posts from 49 different pro-QAnon accounts.

Writing in Media Matters, Alex Kaplan writes, “Additionally, members of Trump’s family, his personal attorney, current and former campaign staffers, and even some current and former Trump administration officials have also repeatedly amplified QAnon supporters and their content.”

A Twitter spokesperson told NBC News that, while the targeted enforcement fell under the company’s existing platform manipulation rules, its classification of QAnon material and behavior as coordinated harmful activity was a new designation.

The spokesperson said that an FBI report on QAnon’s ties to dangerous real-world activities led in part to Twitter’s decision. The FBI designated QAnon as a potential domestic terrorist threat last year.

_____

Source: Equities News