The QAnon-led conspiracies once again surfaced on Twitter,
resulting in the suspension of over 70,000 accounts on the platform. The accounts
were targeted for engaging in dangerous content related to QAnon and for encouraging
the propagation of their conspiracy theory.
Twitter took this action two days after the pro-Trump mob attack
took place at the US Capitol. Twitter explained that it suspended the accounts
in an attempt to “protect the conversation on [its] service from attempts to
incite violence, organize attacks, and share deliberately misleading
information about the election outcome.” It was reported that a large
amount of QAnon followers were present among the rioters involved in the attack
last week.
The account suspension on Twitter was followed by prominent GOP members complaining about lost followers on the platform. Republican representative Matt Gaetz said he lost tens of thousands of followers, while other prominent figures like Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and elected QAnon supporter from Georgia Marjorie Taylor Greene had similar complaints too.
The number of accounts Twitter has suspended this time is
far greater than crackdowns detailed by the company previously. Twitter also
reported that single individuals were operating “numerous” accounts. The last time
the company took the action of account
suspension against QAnon conspiracy accounts was in July last year, when it
banned 7,000 accounts.
In addition to banning accounts, Twitter has also acted
against those accounts that have been indirectly involved in the spread of conspiracy
related content by tweeting or retweeting it. As a result, these accounts will
face the consequences of reduced visibility across search, replies, and
timelines, and will also be restricted from being recommended to users on
Twitter. Furthermore, accounts that are suspected of spamming are being
inquired about their authenticity and may also face temporary disappearance
from follower counts.
