Instagram recently confirmed it has removed several large accounts related to the QAnon conspiracy theory, but there are dozens of large pro-QAnon accounts still active on the platform, and users have created backup accounts for both removed and active accounts that are already gaining tens of thousands of followers.
On September 2, an Instagram spokesperson confirmed to BuzzFeed News that the platform, which is owned by Facebook, has removed several large accounts because of Facebook’s latest policy regarding QAnon and other movements tied to violence. Facebook announced the policy on August 19 after Twitter removed more than 7,000 accounts related to the conspiracy theory in late July.
Facebook’s policy says it will remove pages, groups, and Instagram accounts that include “discussions of potential violence, including when they use veiled language and symbols particular to the movement to do so.” The platform has reportedly banned about 900 Facebook pages and groups and limited the reach of over 10,000 Instagram accounts related to QAnon.
The social networks’ actions come as QAnon continues to pose an increasing threat; the conspiracy theory has been tied to acts of violence, including multiple murders and attempted kidnappings; it’s been listed as a potential domestic terrorism threat by the FBI; and it’s rooted itself in American politics, with President Donald Trump amplifying QAnon supporters and at least 78 current or former congressional candidates embracing it. The fringe conspiracy theory centers on the belief that Trump was working with then-special counsel Robert Mueller to take down the president’s perceived enemies in the “deep state,” which it claims is filled with elites who are pedophiles and devil-worshippers.
Before Facebook took action against QAnon-related content, Media Matters reviewed posts related to QAnon and its slogan -- “wwg1wga” (short for “where we go one, we go all”) -- from 24 public Instagram accounts that promote the conspiracy theory and found that they earned millions of interactions (likes, comments, shares).
Of these 24 accounts that Media Matters initially identified, 18 are still active on Instagram despite Facebook’s new policy against QAnon-related accounts. One account that Instagram removed reportedly created a second backup after its first was removed. Instagram also removed two of the 24 accounts, @qthewakeup and @qmaildrops, after they accumulated at least 240,000 followers each. But both of these accounts were prepared with backup accounts that have already gained tens of thousands of followers.
