Twitter Has Removed More Than 70,000 Accounts Linked To QAnon Conspiracy Since Capitol Riots
Topline
More than 70,000 Twitter accounts linked with the far-right QAnon conspiracy movement have been banned from the platform following riots in the Capitol last week, the company announced Monday as part of a wider crackdown on conspiracies, misinformation and “ attempts to incite violence, organize attacks, and share deliberately misleading information about the election outcome” that has seen President Donald Trump and his high-profile supporters permanently blocked from the platform over fears he will use it to incite violence.
Twitter purged more than 70,000 accounts linked to the QAnon conspiracy theory.
Key Facts
“We’ve been clear that we will take strong enforcement action on behavior that has the potential to lead to offline harm,” Twitter said in a blog post announcing the purge Monday, citing the “increased risk of harm” following violence in Washington, D.C., last week.
The company said that it had begun suspending accounts “primarily dedicated to sharing QAnon content on Friday afternoon” — the right-wing conspiracy movement baselessly asserts that Donald Trump is waging a secret war against a global pedophile ring of Satan-worshiping Democrats, celebrities and billionaires.
Twitter said it had targeted accounts that were “engaged in sharing harmful QAnon-associated content at scale and were primarily dedicated to the propagation of this conspiracy theory across the service.”
“Many” of the individuals affected “held multiple accounts,” the company said, adding that some people may see “follower count changes in the thousands” as a result of the bans.
Key Background
After years of pressure to crack down on misinformation, conspiracy and hate speech from Trump, platforms are now abandoning him in droves amid claims the president incited violence among his supporters Wednesday who went on to storm the Capitol. Of these, Twitter is far and away the most consequential and many prominent Trump supporters, such as Mike Flynn, Sidney Powell and Ron Watkins, have also been driven off the platform for sharing QAnon content. Twitter was Trump’s preferred way of engaging with the world around him and the president used the platform for everything from announcing policies and denouncing detractors to spreading hate, misinformation and lies. Trump’s communications channels are certainly narrowing — Facebook also banned the president and right wing app Parler has been practically run off the internet. A number of prominent European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have spoken out against Twitter’s ban on Trump, believing it to be a “problematic” move against free speech that should be the exclusive purview of governments and law, not private companies.
Big Number
88 million. That’s how many Twitter followers Trump had when his account was suspended. This made him one of the most followed on the platform.
Crucial Quote
Twitter said it would remain vigilant over the potential for violence in the U.S. in the weeks to come: “Ahead of the inauguration, we’ll continue to monitor the situation, keep open lines of communication with law enforcement, and keep the public informed of additional enforcement actions.”
Further Reading
‘Problematic’ And ‘Perplexing’: European Leaders Side With Trump Over Twitter Ban (Forbes)
QAnon explained: the antisemitic conspiracy theory gaining traction around the world (Guardian)
Twitter Shares Down 7% In Pre-Market Trading After Trump Is Permanently Banned From The Platform (Forbes)
Twitter Permanently Bans Trump (Forbes)
Parler At Risk Of Going Offline After Bans From Amazon, Apple And Google (Forbes)
Conservative Social Media App Parler Is Pretty Much Dead (Forbes)
All the platforms that have banned or restricted Trump so far (Axios)
Twitter Bans Sidney Powell, Mike Flynn For Sharing QAnon Conspiracy Theories (Forbes)
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