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    What is QAnon and why is it so dangerous? – video explainer

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    Donald Trump has referred to QAnon followers as ‘people who love our country’ – while to the FBI considers them a potential domestic terror threat. The Guardian US technology reporter Julia Carrie Wong explains the roots – and rise – of QAnon, the unfounded conspiracy theory that emerged in the US in 2017, and is now spreading across the world
    The QAnon orphans: people who have lost loved ones to conspiracy theories
    ‘Quite frankly terrifying’: How the QAnon conspiracy theory is taking root in the UK

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    Amazon removes shirts with derogatory slogan about Kamala Harris

    Amazon has removed a clothing line emblazoned with an offensive slogan referring to Kamala Harris from its website after complaints from Twitter users who branded it “unacceptable”.The T-shirts, tank tops and hoodies which had the words “Joe and the hoe” written in red, white and blue in the style of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Harris’s campaign logo, were on sale for between $24.99 and $42.99.The derogatory phrase was also recently adopted by the conservative radio host and friend of Donald Trump Rush Limbaugh, who has a history of making abusive comments about the senator.The removal of the items followed pressure from Twitter users who urged people to complain to the retail giant.“Let @amazon know this is unacceptable,” wrote @LesaPamplin, a criminal defence attorney from Texas, with a screengrab of the clothing. “We are not sitting idly by and taking this bullshit.”An Amazon spokesperson said on Wednesday that the products had been removed, adding: “All sellers must follow our selling guidelines and those who do not will be subject to action including potential removal of their account.”While the products appear to have been removed, the seller, “The Oxygen Bandit”, still seems to be active on the site with a range of politically themed garments including a “Byedon 2020” hoodie and “Kamala smelled best” and “I’m an AmeriKaren” T-shirts.Later on Wednesday Harris is due to make US history as the first woman of colour on a major party ticket when she accepts her party’s vice-president nomination at the Democratic national convention. More

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    Online privacy experts sound alarm as US Senate bill sparks surveillance fears

    The Earn It Act, described as an effort to address sexual exploitation, could threaten encryption practices, opponents say Senators Lindsey Graham, Richard Blumenthal and Dianne Feinstein, pictured, were among lawmakers who introduced the bill. Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock A US Senate bill that critics say would enable widespread censorship and surveillance has taken a significant step towards […] More

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    Trump signs executive order to narrow protections for social media platforms

    Move comes amid president’s feud with Twitter after it fact-checked him for the first time Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at narrowing protections for social media giants. Photograph: Doug Mills/EPA Donald Trump has fired a shot across the bows of “big tech” companies by signing an executive order that aims to narrow […] More

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    Why Twitter should ban Donald Trump | Julia Carrie Wong

    Why Twitter should ban Donald Trump Trump has used and abused the platform for long enough. And his latest executive order is just another distraction Donald Trump exits Air Force One as he returns to Washington on Wednesday. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters The president’s executive order on social media will kick off a heated debate over […] More

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    Donald Trump's move against Twitter factchecking could backfire

    President’s planned weakening of social media law may not have effect he thinks it will Donald Trump in the White House, Washington DC. Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP Donald Trump’s apparent plans to punish Twitter for appending a factcheck to his claims that mail-in ballots would be “substantially fraudulent” could reshape the web – but not necessarily in […] More