(Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc. on Monday said it was working to remove some QAnon products from its online marketplace, citing policies banning offensive articles or other inappropriate content.
The world’s largest online retailer looked to have clothes with QAnon badges and books related to the sale days after QAnon fans joined last week’s siege of the U.S. Capitol, which left five people dead .
QAnon sponsors have spurred conspiracies on social media based on anonymous “Q” web posts, citing insider knowledge from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. These include the baseless claim that Trump is secretly fighting a cabal of child sexual predators, including prominent Democrats and Hollywood figures.
Amazon’s action comes after the decision to stop hosting Parler’s web content, a social network used by some Trump supporters. The company alleged that Parler had violated the terms of service of its cloud computing division, Amazon Web Services (AWS), for failing to cope with an increase in violent social media. Parler sued AWS Monday in response.
Amazon has previously come under fire and removed product listings that promote extremist views, such as books denying the Holocaust.
Jeffrey Dastin’s report in San Francisco; Additional reports by Bhargav Acharya, Elizabeth Culliford and Katie Paul; Edited by Christopher Cushing