British consumers are being targeted with merchandise promoting the theory
By Olivia Rudgard, US Technology Reporter, San Francisco 10 August 2020 • 5:00am
Google is blocking shopping searches related to the popular US conspiracy theory QAnon, as social media sites look to crack down on the movement, designated a terror threat in the US.
Online sellers are now targeting British consumers with merchandise promoting the theory, but Google has banned the search term on its shopping tab amid concerns about its role in spreading misinformation and falsehood.
A spokesman for the company said: “We do not allow ads or products that promote hatred, intolerance, discrimination or violence against others.”
QAnon followers believe that Donald Trump is leading the charge against a secretive group of liberal politicians and media figures who have secretly been controlling the US for decades, covering up paeodophilia, Satanic abuse rings and child trafficking.
T-shirts sold on Amazon and Etsy as well as smaller sites aimed at British buyers link the theory, designated a domestic terror threat by the FBI, to Brexit and the UK.
In one design sold on Etsy, a woman models a T-shirt adorned with a Union Jack patterned Q, next to a Punisher skull, a Marvel symbol frequently used by US police and military and more recently co-opted by far-right groups and militias, and the slogan “pain is coming”.
Google did not say when the change was made, but the search term was returning results in early July and had been blocked by early August.
The change is part of a series of restrictions Google, which also owns YouTube, has implemented on QAnon.
YouTube was one of the main flourishing grounds for the theory, which is often discussed in long videos by so-called “truthers”.
Earlier this year the company said it would stop showing the videos in search results and in the recommendations which appear based on a viewer’s previous interests.
In May an FBI document emerged in which the US agency said it was concerned that believers could “carry out criminal or violent acts”.
A spokesman for Etsy said that they were monitoring the area and considering further restrictions.
QAnon products were also widely available on Amazon. As of last week, over 2,000 were listed on its US site and almost 700 in the UK.
The company did not respond to a request for comment.