1. Briefing: who is Q and what is QAnon?
Since its birth in October 2017, the US QAnon conspiracy theory - which is based on the enigmatic messages of an anonymous poster named “Q” - has spread from the fringe internet forums 4chan and 8chan to more widely used platforms like Reddit and Facebook.
Firebrand conservative commentators including Roseanne Barr, Curt Schilling and Alex Jones from Infowars have helped amplify the theory, which has often had real-world consequences.
What is QAnon - and why does it matter?
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