Facebook is finally falling out on QAnon: after weeks of pressure, the company says it has deleted hundreds of groups and pages and blocked thousands of ads tied to the far-right conspiracy theory. This move is the social media’s biggest effort to take on the movement, which the FBI warned could pose a domestic terror threat.
Under its latest policy, Facebook isn’t banning QAnon or its followers entirely but is cracking down on those that discuss political violence, and taking drastic steps to make other QAnon accounts and content less visible. Facebook will also block QAnon accounts from running ads, selling products, or using other monetization features.
“We’ve removed over 790 groups, 100 Pages and 1,500 ads tied to QAnon from Facebook, blocked over 300 hashtags across Facebook and Instagram and additionally imposed restrictions on over 1,950 Groups and 440 Pages on Facebook and over 10,000 accounts on Instagram,” the company mentioned in a statement.
QAnon’s reach has exploded since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and Facebook’s own algorithms, which recommended QAnon content on Facebook and Instagram have been blamed for helping increase the rise. And the company has faced heavy criticism for not doing more to prevent QAnoo content from going viral on its platform.
Facebook’s approach is a bit different: Instead of trying to root out the conspiracy entirely, the company is taking steps to prevent it from continuing to go viral on its services. Facebook says it will stoppages, groups, and Instagram accounts from displaying in its algorithmic recommendations, reduce their distribution in News Feed, and rank accounts lower in search results.
In addition to QAnon, the new rules will also apply to “offline anarchist groups that support violent acts amidst protests” — an apparent reference to “Antifa” — and “US-based militia organizations,” the company said. These groups “have demonstrated significant risks to public safety,” Facebook said, even if they “do not meet the rigorous criteria to be designated as a dangerous organization and banned from having any presence on our platform.”
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