Facebook Accelerates QAnon Crackdown With Purge Of Hundreds Of Pages, Groups, And Ads

Facebook’s campaign to crackdown on content related to the QAnon conspiracy theory took a major step on Wednesday with the banning of 900 pages and groups as well as around 1,500 advertisements. The platform’s purge of QAnon content is the result of changes to its violent rhetoric policies, which have also led to the banning of 10,000 Instagram accounts.

Facebook explained that this change in policy enforcement came about due to QAnon-affiliated accounts regularly celebrating and glorifying acts of violence. While not cited by the company, the FBI has also designated QAnon adherents as potential domestic terror threats.

The company also said that any QAnon-affiliated accounts will be barred from purchasing ads or selling products on Facebook Marketplace. These restrictions will be extended to accounts affiliated with “offline anarchist groups that support violent acts amidst protests” or “U.S.-based militia organizations.”

Born on the infamous web forum, 4chan, the QAnon conspiracy stems from cryptic anonymous posts made by somehow claiming to have high-level U.S. government clearance. In these posts, it is insinuated that the erratic and unpresidential behavior exhibited by President Donald Trump, who the poster asserts is secretly waging a campaign against a global group of Satanic child sex traffickers.

The conspiracy has been noted as a way for fringe conservatives to forgive and explain away Trump’s missteps and to demonize the left, since almost all of the members of the secret group are said to be famous public figures known to have liberal politics.

Despite its fringe nature and ludicrous conceit, QAnon support has become increasingly mainstream in recent months. In Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Green, a vocal QAnon believer, won a state primary for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District. She is running unopposed in the general election and has been praised as a “real WINNER” by Trump.