Roku has allowed hundreds of thousands of installations of a channel dedicated to QAnon conspiracy theories

Published January 5, 2023 By admin with Comments 1

Streaming platform Roku has allowed a channel dedicated to QAnon conspiracy theories to launch, even though it seemingly violates the platform’s rules and precedent that disallows this kind of content. Just weeks after the channel launched, it has been installed hundreds of thousands of times, and Roku may also be earning revenue for ads being run on the channel.

The channel, called Burrow, launched in early December and is categorized by Roku as “educational.” The channel’s logo features a rabbit jumping into a hole, seemingly referencing the phrase “going down the rabbit hole.” The channel’s slogan appears to be the QAnon-related phrase “follow the white rabbit,” and the channel calls itself “The Redpill Network” (with “Redpill” as an image instead of the word), referring to an embrace of far-right and conspiratorial beliefs.

The content featured on Burrow includes sections for videos dedicated to the false QAnon and Pizzagate conspiracy theories, along with sections for “Human Trafficking / Elite Pedophelia” and “Rituals and Satanic Cults.” The channel also includes QAnon and Pizzagate-related films such as “Fall of Cabal” and “Out of Shadows,” and it promotes content from the conspiracy theory network Infowars.

All of this content seems to violate Roku’s own rules, which prohibit content that could “incite violence, place individuals or groups in imminent harm, or are otherwise unlawful or encouraging of illegal activity,” or “contain false, irrelevant or misleading information.” Roku has also previously said that it has policies to prevent content that is “unlawful, incited illegal activities, or violates third-party rights.” Both QAnon and Pizzagate have been tied to multiple acts of violence, and government agencies have warned of potential additional violence associated with the conspiracy theories. Roku has also previously banned channels for similar content, including those dedicated to QAnon and to Infowars.

Content retrieved from: https://www.mediamatters.org/qanon-conspiracy-theory/roku-has-allowed-hundreds-thousands-installations-channel-dedicated-qanon.