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What is QAnon and why did Twitter block 7,000 accounts?

Twitter announced on Tuesday that it has removed 7,000 accounts tied to so-called QAnon activity on the social media platform and will stop recommending content linked to the growing internet conspiracy theory.

According to Twitter, different actions were taken against accounts promoting QAnon conspiracy theories, leading to the suspension of those accounts. Violations included glorifying violence and breaking Twitter’s user rules.

"We've been clear that we will take strong enforcement action on behavior that has the potential to lead to offline harm," the Twitter Safety account tweeted Tuesday. Twitter did not explain what was meant by "offline harm."

The New York Times is reporting that Facebook will follow suit and suspend accounts associate with the group.

It is not the first time QAnon has been banned from a social media network. In 2018, Reddit banned the subreddit /r/GreatAwakening, which was the site’s largest QAnon community. Reddit said the group broke site rules about not promoting violence.

Supporters of QAnon have become more vocal in presenting theories on such things as the novel coronavirus pandemic, a “deep state” organization aimed at getting President Donald Trump removed from office and the supposed existence of a massive pedophile ring that includes prominent Democrats and celebrities.

Trump has retweeted some of the group’s social media posts.

What is QAnon, and what theories are being put forth? How are they influencing discussions on social media sites? Here is what we know.

What is QAnon?

QAnon refers to a wide-ranging group of conspiracy theories that claim, among other things, that forces within the federal government and beyond want to take down the Trump administration.

More recently, QAnon supporters have also called out celebrities and high-profile businessmen and women it sees as participating in anti-American conspiracies.

Trump is seen as the person who is fighting behind the scenes to save his administration, his supporters and the United States.

Who is Q?

Q says he or she is a government insider with a special, classified information clearance. The clearance is known as a “Q” clearance, a distinction used by the Department of Energy. Q says he or she was instructed to post intelligence leaks to social media sites, 4chan in particular. The information is posted, Q said, “In order to covertly inform the public about POTUS’s master plan to stage a countercoup against members of the deep state.”

The posts began on Oct. 28, 2017, with a 4chan internet forum called “Calm Before the Storm,” written by someone using the name Q Clearance Patriot.

Q’s identity is not known publicly, but he or she was named as one of the 25 most influential people on the internet by Time Magazine in 2018.

Some point to Q’s use of certain phrases to suggest he or she may have an intelligence background or may have been in the military.

The messages Q post are known as “Q drops” or “breadcrumbs.” Those who follow and comment often refer to themselves as “bakers.” A popular slogan used by the group is, “Where we go one we go all,” abbreviated as “WWG1WGA!”

What are some theories that have been floated?

On several social media outlets, QAnon has:

  • Shared "treatments" for the novel coronavirus.
  • Accused liberal billionaire George Soros of rigging the Iowa Democratic caucuses.
  • Said that special counsel Robert Mueller was investigating prominent Democrats instead of Trump and his administration over Russian interference and collusion in the 2016 election. QAnon said Mueller was looking into whether Democrats like former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had relationships with Russia or potential connections to what QAnon claims is a massive pedophile ring.
  • Claimed Trump was recruited by the military to run for office.
  • Claimed that billionaires helped spread the COVID-19 virus in a “Plandemic” documentary. The video, which had been viewed by millions, has been taken off social media sites.