False claims on Facebook about martial law, Insurrection Act take cues from QAnon

Facebook and Instagram posts are spreading false claims that President Donald Trump is set to impose martial law ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration. Many of them allude to QAnon, a baseless conspiracy theory that’s banned on the platforms.

On Jan. 6, Trump fans stormed the U.S. Capitol as Congress counted electoral votes from the 2020 election. Among the rioters were supporters of QAnon, which claims Trump is secretly working with the military to fight an underground ring of cannibalistic, Satan-worshiping pedophiles.

The insurrection was openly planned on both mainstream and niche social media platforms for weeks. But in a Jan. 11 interview with Reuters, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg deferred blame to other social networks.