:quality(80)/cdn-kiosk-api.telegraaf.nl/1cef04ce-0822-11eb-aa77-02c309bc01c1.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1)
Supporters of QAnon believe members of the American elite are involved in a plot against President Donald Trump. They rely on messages from a certain ‘Q’, an anonymous user of an internet forum. Within the QAnon community, the story circulated last week that Trump was not actually infected with the corona virus, but was engaged in a secret mission.
Facebook has previously taken action against the group. Then the company deleted accounts that talked about violence. The policy is now being further tightened. A Facebook spokesperson tells NBC that deleting “loose messages” is not the goal of the operation. Accounts used to spread conspiracy theories will be removed.
Child abuse stories
Experts are concerned about the spread of unproven theories through social media. These have led to violence in the past. For example, in 2016 an armed man entered a pizzeria in Washington after reading fake news online (#pizzagate). Those reports stated that Democratic politician Hillary Clinton was involved in a criminal network that had hidden underage sex slaves in the restaurant.
–
