Facebook to Ban All Groups, Content Related to QAnon

Social media company Facebook announced Tuesday that it will ban content and groups that express support for QAnon, which refers to a belief that there is a Satan-worshiping cabal of pedophilic elites running a global child sex-trafficking ring. The ban also extends to another popular social media app, Instagram, which is Facebook-owned. Facebook "will remove any Facebook Pages, Groups and Instagram accounts representing QAnon, even if they contain no violent content," according to an update of its policy on addressing "movements and organizations tied to violence." QAnon has been designated a domestic terror threat by the FBI since 2019. Most coverage on both sides of the spectrum described the move as a ban, rather than censorship. Some reports from right-rated sources criticized Facebook for banning QAnon while purportedly permitting content centered on violent ISIS propaganda.