January brought a one-two punch that should have knocked out the fantastical, false QAnon conspiracy theory.
After the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the social media platforms that had long allowed the falsehoods to spread like wildfire namely Twitter, Facebook and YouTube got more aggressive in cracking down on accounts promoting QAnon.
Just two weeks later, Joe Biden was inaugurated president. That stunned those adherents who believed, among other things, that Donald Trump would stay in office for another term and that he would arrest and execute his political enemies. There s no one cohesive narrative that s really emerged yet. And I pin that on [QAnon] not really having a leader right now, said Mike Rothschild, a conspiracy-theory researcher who is writing a book about QAnon.
Originally published on January 31, 2021 11:35 am
January brought a one-two punch that should have knocked out the fantastical, false QAnon conspiracy theory.
After the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the social media platforms that had long allowed the falsehoods to spread like wildfire namely Twitter, Facebook and YouTube got more aggressive in cracking down on accounts promoting QAnon.
Just two weeks later, Joe Biden was inaugurated president. That stunned those adherents who believed, among other things, that Donald Trump would stay in office for another term and that he would arrest and execute his political enemies. There s no one cohesive narrative that s really emerged yet. And I pin that on [QAnon] not really having a leader right now, said Mike Rothschild, a conspiracy theory researcher who is writing a book about QAnon.
As Twitter and Facebook crack down on those spreading baseless QAnon conspiracies, adherents are finding other apps to communicate on, including platforms where they may be further radicalized.
Russia State Media Turns to Disinformation to Malign Protesters, Analysts Say voanews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from voanews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
English By Jamie Dettmer Share on Facebook Print this page
Russia’s state-controlled media has been turning to a disinformation playbook it has used before in a bid to discredit protesters agitating for the release from prison of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, say analysts.
Navalny was detained on his return to Moscow for parole violations after recovering in Germany from a near-fatal poisoning. His arrest has triggered the largest anti-Kremlin protests seen in Russia since 2011, and Washington is being blamed for the demonstrations, with Kremlin officials and state media presenters alleging that Western powers, mainly the U.S., are behind the agitation.