For three years, QAnon spread from the dark edges of the internet to mainstream social networks, and the social networks did little to stop it happening. Now Facebook and Twitter are trying to crack down — but it may be too late. What was once a fringe conspiracy theory has now been openly endorsed by some congressional candidates with a real shot of winning, and complimented by the President of the United States.

For three years, QAnon spread from the dark edges of the internet to mainstream social networks, and the social networks did little to stop it happening. Now Facebook and Twitter are trying to crack down — but it may be too late.

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On Wednesday, the same day that Facebook announced action against thousands of accounts and groups linked to QAnon and its discredited claims, President Donald Trump openly praised its followers for supporting him, calling them "people that love our country," though he claimed not to know much about the movement.

And in perhaps the ultimate indictment of how online platforms failed to stop QAnon from gaining traction sooner, the baseless claims on which QAnon thrives have already been embraced or sympathized with by at least six Republican congressional candidates in districts ranging from Georgia to California.