Twitter bans 7,000 accounts for pushing the QAnon conspiracy theory

The social media platform Twitter has suspended 7,000 accounts for pushing the QAnon conspiracy theory, according to a new report by NBC news.

"Twitter announced on Tuesday it has begun taking sweeping actions to limit the reach of QAnon content and banned many of the conspiracy theory's followers due to ongoing problems with harassment and the dissemination of misinformation," correspondents Ben Collins and Brandy Zadrozny reported Tuesday.

"Twitter will stop recommending accounts and content related to QAnon, including in email, push, and follow recommendations and will take steps to limit content circulation in places like trends and search. This action will impact approximately 150,000 accounts, according to a spokesperson, who asked to remain unnamed due to concerns about the targeted harassment of social media employees," NBC News reported. "The Twitter spokesperson also said the company had taken down more than 7,000 QAnon accounts in the last couple weeks for breaking its rules on targeted harassment as part of its new policy."

The move could decrease President Donald Trump's support on Twitter.

"QAnon is a baseless right-wing conspiracy theory that centers around the belief that an anonymous tipster is revealing how President Donald Trump is leading a secret war against a so-called Deep State — a collection of political, business and Hollywood elites who worship Satan and abuse and murder children. The conspiracy theory draws its roots from Pizzagate, which claimed Hillary Clinton ran a pedophile ring outside of a Washington D.C. pizza shop," NBC News explained.

"QAnon emerged from the fringes of the internet's conspiracy community to become a recognized political phenomenon, with Trump supporters showing up at events with "Q" merchandise. Qanon followers have also been implicated in armed standoffs, attempted kidnappings, harassment and murder since the conspiracy first gained traction in in the internet in October 2017," NBC News reminded. "Last year, the FBI designated QAnon as a potential domestic terror threat. The FBI’s report on QAnon’s ties to dangerous real-world activities led in part to Twitter’s decision, a spokesperson said."

Attacks on bestselling author Chrissy Teigen may have played a role in Twitter's crackdown.

"Some QAnon supporters have also become more organized and aggressive in attacking celebrities. QAnon followers frequently comb through social media posts and Instagram pictures of Trump’s famous political opponents, intentionally misinterpreting benign photos as proof the celebrities are eating children. The followers then target those celebrities with harassment campaigns, coordinated by influencers in the QAnon community on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube," NBC News explained. "TV personality and author Chrissy Teigen has been a constant target of harassment by QAnon and Pizzagate accounts in recent weeks. The harassment campaign has since targeted friends in her life, some of whom are private figures, who have had their Instagram accounts swarmed by conspiracy theorists posting violent threats."