Twitter bans QAnon accounts, removes link related to conspiracy theory

Taking its battle against misinformation one step further, Twitter on Wednesday banned thousands of accounts associated with the QAnon conspiracy theory movement. It also blocked links related to the theory. The conspiracy theory alleges that there is a deep state plot against President Donald Trump.

“We’ve been clear that we will take strong enforcement action on behavior that has the potential to lead to offline harm. In line with this approach, this week we are taking further action on so-called ‘QAnon’ activity across the service,” the company informed.

Twitter has said that it would permanently suspend accounts that violate the company’s policy. The QAnon activity will be kept out of the trends and recommendations section as well. It hasn’t yet revealed how many accounts would be affected.

According to an NBC report, 150,000 accounts would be impacted. As of now, Twitter has taken down more than 7,000 QAnon accounts in the last couple of weeks.

“As we work at scale to protect the public conversation in the face of evolving threats, we’ll continue to lead with transparency and offer more context on our efforts,” the company said.

QAnon movement gained momentum as Lauren Boebert, a fan of the movement and gun rights advocate, won the Republican primary for Colorado’s 3rd District earlier this month.