An update to Patreon’s policies on QAnon
October 22, 2020
To learn what we're doing to stop the spread of disinformation on Patreon, read on.
Today we are taking a step to address the QAnon conspiracy theory on Patreon. Going forward, creator accounts that advance disinformation promoting the QAnon conspiracy theory will no longer be supported on Patreon.
Why are we taking this action?
While Patreon does not propagate this content directly, there are a small number of creators on the platform who have supported the QAnon conspiracy theory with their work. Because of this, and the fact that we have seen a number of other online platforms become overrun with pages and groups actively focused around QAnon disinformation, we are taking action. In an effort to assess and combat this growing threat, Patreon’s Policy and Trust & Safety teams have individually identified the creator accounts that have engaged in spreading QAnon-supporting disinformation.
What will this mean for creators going forward?
From now on, QAnon-dedicated creators that are identified by our Policy and Trust & Safety teams will have their accounts removed from Patreon. Creators who have propagated some QAnon content, but are not dedicated to spreading QAnon disinformation, will have the opportunity to bring their campaigns into compliance with our updated guidelines. Creators whose campaigns seek to analyze the QAnon conspiracy theory will not be impacted by this policy change. To date, the majority of creator accounts discussing QAnon fall into this last category.
In the days ahead, members of the Patreon team will reach out to these three groups of creators to provide guidance on how this policy change will impact their accounts going forward.
To reiterate, this policy change applies only to creators engaged in spreading QAnon-supporting disinformation. Simply mentioning, entertaining, reporting on, or debunking QAnon is not a violation of our guidelines. This policy update is exclusively addressing the propagation of disinformation related to QAnon. We want to ensure that we provide a safe space for creators to continue to feel empowered to create, so long as their work does not incite violence or harm others. If you are a creator, you can reach out to guidelines@patreon.com with any questions about this policy.