Facebook takes action against QAnon conspiracy movement

Text by: Lina Taghy Follow

6 min

Facebook has deleted nearly 900 groups and pages associated with the conspiracy movement "QAnon", the company announced Wednesday (August 19th). A wave of measures that also concern Instagram. In question, the incitement to violence of this conspiratorial far-right movement, which according to Facebook, presents, along with other groups, "significant risks to public security".

Publicity

10,000 accounts on Instagram and nearly 2,000 groups and 440 Facebook pages linked to the QAnon movement have been closed or blocked by the social media giant, which wants to reduce the reach of these conspiratorial groups through restrictive measures. Facebook thus ensures that they are more difficult to find and prevent them from advertising or selling products. The company also assures that content related to QAnon will be downgraded in user news feeds, in platform searches, and in algorithm recommendations.

Facebook is not the first social network to take the plunge, in July 2018, Twitter had already banned more than 7,000 accounts linked to QAnon.

It was in a statement  that Facebook explained that it had changed its policy on dangerous organizations and individuals "  to include organizations and movements that demonstrate a significant risk to public safety, but which do not meet the criteria for be designated as dangerous organizations  ”which are normally banned from the platform.

Users will be able to continue posting content related to QAnon as long as they do not violate any platform rules. The social network also clarified that this new policy serves to restrict the ability of these groups to organize on Facebook.

A movement monitored by the FBI

QAnon is seen as a conspiratorial far-right movement whose community is mostly made up of pro-Trump supporters. For the followers of QAnon, Donald Trump would wage a secret war against elites implanted in the government, the financial circles and the media. According to them, the United States is run by a criminal, pedophile and satanic organization, involving the Clinton, Obama and Rothschild families, as well as other members of the world elite. QAnon assures us that it is Donald Trump who will explode this plot and return power to the people.

It all started in October 2017, when a person using the pseudonym "Q" posted coded messages on anonymous forums. “Q” claims to be an American intelligence official and has alarming information about an alleged plot against President Trump.

QAnon, combination of the letter Q and "Anonymous" firstly designates the author of these coded messages, then finally encompasses the conspiracy theory that it conveys and the whole community that discusses it.

Since its obscure beginnings on anonymous forums, QAnon has grown on social media and even in politics. Tuesday, August 11, Marjorie Taylor Greene, a supporter of this movement, won the Republican primary in the very conservative 14th district of Georgia. A victory that would allow him to sit in the United States House of Representatives next year.

Since May 2019, QAnon has been under FBI surveillance , as a potential source of domestic terrorism. The Federal Bureau of Investigation had designated QAnon as a public emergency.

Trump's unconditional support

“  I don't know much about them. I understood that they like me a lot, which I appreciate,  ”Donald Trump said at a press conference after Facebook announced the restrictions on QAnon. The US president also hinted that their recent surge in popularity was linked to protests in Portland or New York against systemic racism.

"I understand they like me very much, which I appreciate."
"These are people that love our country."
- Trump on QAnon

The FBI has identified QAnon as a violent domestic terrorism threat. https://t.co/UnS7kZz5u0 pic.twitter.com/L2oKu3a2YB

In the rallies of President Trump, more and more signs bearing the image of QAnon are appearing, but also during demonstrations against the health measures imposed in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Facebook also claimed to have removed nearly 1,400 groups and pages of "  independent anarchist groups that support violent acts amid protests  " from groups that Facebook says "  may identify as Antifa  ."

As the US presidential elections approach in November, social media is under pressure. In 2016, the American election was marred by campaigns of disinformation and manipulation of voters that took place online, on these platforms.

Facebook, in particular, is targeted by many elected officials and NGOs who accuse it of being too lax towards hate content. A report from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue  even points to the platform's algorithm problems, explaining that if a Facebook user has ever interacted with denialist content, denying the existence of the Holocaust, Facebook "  actively puts forward other negationist content to this user  ”.

The California group has pledged to monitor future extremist movements that may gain momentum on its network, and to take additional action if necessary.

►Also read: Hateful content: Facebook under pressure from brands, promises to clean up

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