In an unprecedented move, more than 70,000 Twitter accounts have been suspended by the social media giant (Twitter Inc) since Friday that were primarily dedicated QAnon content after last week's riot in Washington when President Donald Trumps' supporters stormed the US Capitol, in what may be described as a coup attempt.
"Given the violent events in Washington, DC, and increased risk of harm, we began permanently suspending thousands of accounts that were primarily dedicated to sharing QAnon content on Friday afternoon", Twitter said in a blog late on Monday.
"These accounts were engaged in sharing harmful QAnon-associated content at scale and were primarily dedicated to the propagation of this conspiracy theory across the service", the company said.
QAnon is a disproven and discredited far-right conspiracy theory alleging that a cabal of Satan-worshipping cannibalistic pedophiles is running a global child sex-trafficking ring and plotting against US President Donald Trump, who is fighting the cabal. QAnon also commonly asserts that Trump is planning a day of reckoning known as the "Storm", when thousands of members of the cabal will be arrested.
QAnon backers have been pushing conspiracies on social media including baseless claim that Trump is secretly fighting a cabal of child-sex predators, among them prominent Democrats, figures in Hollywood and "deep state" allies.
On Friday after banning Trump's account, Twitter had stated that it would permanently suspend accounts pushing QAnon content, banning prominent right-wing boosters of its conspiracy theories.
