In its latest crackdown, Twitter is stepping up its game in order to remove some A-grade bullshit from the platform.
Today’s edition is brought to you by the believers of the conspiracy theory, QAnon.
Supporters of QAnon, a far-right conspiracy group formed over three years ago, are having their accounts targeted and removed by Twitter’s safety team.
On the grimier side of the Internet, sadly, anything is possible. Conspiracy becomes fact, information becomes disinformation. Three years ago on 4chan of all places, a single conspiracy was planted which has wriggled its way into American politics. Unfortunately, many have fallen hook, line, and sinker for this theory and its slogan – “Question Everything”. Questioning everything is fine, but there are actually no facts to back up QAnon’s hazardous claims.
What are these claims you ask? Its founding theory accused multiple politicians and A-listers of teaming up in secret to participate in child sex abuse. It also positioned Trump as a figure who was fighting against them – and subsequently at risk of annihilation. It’s a delusional concoction parading as woke. In reality, all it does is spread dangerous disinformation, especially online.
For example, when beloved actor Tom Hanks was hit with coronavirus, QAnon believers wrote on Twitter that he was actually arrested for pedophilia. The spread of fake coronavirus news has been a critical issue for social media sites, but Twitter have now made their stance known:
“We’ve been clear that we will take strong enforcement action on behavior that has the potential to lead to offline harm,” Twitter’s safety team described. “In line with this approach, this week we are taking further action on so-called ‘QAnon’ activity across the service.”
As the online following of QAnon continues to rise and spread disinformation under #QAnon, Twitter aims to stay vigilant. More than 7,000 accounts have already been removed, but it could rise to impact as many as 150,000 in the near future. Stay safe, and don’t forget to fact check.
I had to unfollow lots of Q, and Quanon posts. Its disgusting.
— Beautiful Queen Mary ❤️ QT314 (@BeautifulMary14) July 16, 2020
