Patreon has updated its policies and will no longer support creator accounts on its platform that “advance disinformation promoting the QAnon conspiracy theory,” the company announced in a blog post.
A “small number of creators” on Patreon have supported QAnon with their work, the platform says, adding it’s taking action because “a number of other online platforms become overrun with pages and groups actively focused around QAnon disinformation.”
QAnon-dedicated creators identified by Patreon’s policy and trust & safety teams will have their accounts removed, the blog post added. The policy update “applies only to creators engaged in spreading QAnon-supporting disinformation,” the company said; while just “mentioning, entertaining, reporting on, or debunking QAnon” will not be considered in violation of its rules. “This policy update is exclusively addressing the propagation of disinformation related to QAnon.”
QAnon is a false conspiracy theory that claims President Trump is secretly planning to arrest a ring of high-profile Democratic politicians and celebrities for pedophilia or cannibalism, and that he sends them coded messages. It began to grow across social media platforms, and several QAnon devotees have been accused of violence.
Other social media platforms have also tried to keep QAnon content from proliferating, with mixed success. Facebook completely banned QAnon earlier this month, labeling it a “militarized social movement,” and Etsy banned all QAnon merchandise, for violating its policies against promoting hate and violence. Twitter also has banned QAnon-related accounts and has tried to reduce the spread of related content, and even online exercise platform Peloton had to crack down after QAnon-related hashtags started showing up in its classes.
