Facebook, Twitter flounder in QAnon crackdown

A protester holds a Q sign at a campaign rally with Trump in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Facebook and Twitter promised to stop encouraging the growth of the baseless conspiracy theory QAnon, but haven’t succeeded at even that limited goal, a review found. — AP

CHICAGO: Facebook and Twitter promised to stop encouraging the growth of the baseless conspiracy theory QAnon, which fashions US President Donald Trump as a secret warrior against a supposed child-trafficking ring run by celebrities and government officials, after it reached an audience of millions on their platforms this year.

But the social media companies still aren’t enforcing even the limited restrictions they’ve recently put in place to stem the tide of dangerous QAnon material, a review by The Associated Press found. Both platforms have vowed to stop “suggesting” QAnon material to users, a powerful way of introducing QAnon to new people.