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Facebook says it removed a 200,000-person QAnon group after members violated the site's policies

Aug 7, 2020, 21:25 IST
Business Insider
David Reinert holds a large "Q" sign while waiting in line on to see President Donald J. Trump at his rally August 2, 2018 in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania.Rick Loomis/Getty Images
  • Facebook has deleted from its platform a QAnon page with more than 200,000 members.
  • A company spokesperson told Business Insider the removal occurred Tuesday after Facebook found its members were "repeatedly posting content that violated our policies."
  • QAnon is a far-right movement whose members support conspiracy theories that a secret coalition of powerful people is out to overthrow President Donald Trump.
  • Facebook now joins Twitter and TikTok in cracking down on QAnon content. Twitter announced it was doing so in July, and TikTok disabled hashtags associated with the movement.
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Facebook has deleted a group page whose members were sharing and discussing conspiracy theories associated with QAnon, as BBC reported.

The Facebook group that was kicked off the platform was called "Official Q/QAnon" and boasted over 200,000 members. As BBC journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh pointed out, it's the movement's second largest Facebook group but it's not the only one on the site, and others still remain active.

A company spokesperson told Business Insider in an email that the removal was due to members "repeatedly posting content that violated our policies." The spokesperson confirmed that Facebook removed the group on Tuesday.

QAnon is a far-right movement whose members support the unfounded belief that a secret coalition of powerful figures is targeting President Donald Trump. QAnon members are largely supporters of the president and have circulated disproven theories in the past surrounding President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, including that they practice Satanism and are involved in a global pedophilia ring.

Facebook isn't the only firm that has tried to put a stop to QAnon content. Twitter said in July that it was cracking down on "so-called QAnon activity" and reportedly removed 7,000 accounts associated with content pertaining to the movement. TikTok disabled two popular hashtags associated with QAnon in late July as well.

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The FBI has also warned that conspiracy theories pose domestic terrorism threats. The bureau identified how an individual's belief in conspiracy theories or hoaxes may have or did result in violence, citing the Tree of Life synagogue shooting and the QAnon conspiracy.

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