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Facebook removes nearly 900 QAnon groups and pages

19 August 2020
Dan Ackermann

Facebook announced on Wednesday it has banned or restricted hundreds of groups, pages and Instagram accounts that "demonstrated significant risks to public safety" via their ties to the right-wing QAnon conspiracy movement.

Why it matters: QAnon has morphed from a fringe conspiracy theory into a sprawling network of falsehoods sowing fear and confusion as it has seeped into the mainstream and taken stances on critical issues like the coronavirus pandemic and election integrity.

Details: Facebook said it will restrict the spread of QAnon content on its pages, groups and Instagram accounts. The company will allow people to post content that supports movements such as QAnon if other policies are not broken, such as those against harassment, fake accounts, hate speech or inciting violence.

  • Facebook said that QAnon pages and groups will be ranked lower in its News Feed in the "near future," and that hashtags, titles or accounts associated with the conspiracy theory will be demoted in search results.

By the numbers: The company noted that it has removed over 790 groups, 100 pages and 1,500 ads tied to QAnon, leveled restrictions on over 10,000 Instagram accounts alongside 1,950 groups and 440 Facebook pages, and blocked more than 300 hashtags across Facebook and Instagram.

What to watch: Facebook's hard line against spreading QAnon misinformation could further inflame accusations from Republicans, including President Trump, that social media platforms are biased against conservatives.

  • At least 11 Republican congressional nominees have publicly supported or defended QAnon, which claims without proof that the "deep state" is waging a secret war against Trump, based on posts from an anonymous internet user claiming to be an administration official.

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.