In October 2019, the fact-checking website Snopes reported that "The Epoch Times" is closely linked to a large network of Facebook pages and groups called "The BL" ("The Beauty of Life") that shares pro-Trump views and conspiracy theories such as QAnon. At that time, "The BL" had spent at least $510,698 on Facebook advertising. Hundreds of the ads were removed for violations of Facebook's advertising rules. By December 2019, the "BL" network of pages had 28 million followers on Facebook in total, according to "Snopes". The editor-in-chief of "The BL" had previously worked as editor-in-chief of "The Epoch Times," and several other "BL" employees were listed as current or former employees of "The Epoch Times". "The BL" is registered in Middletown, New York, to an address that also is registered to Falun Gong's "Sound of Hope Radio Network" and is associated with the YouTube series "Beyond Science," but Snopes found "the outlet as a whole is literally the English-language edition of "Epoch Times" Vietnam." Snopes found that "The BL" was using more than 300 fake Facebook profiles based in Vietnam and other countries, using names, stock photos and celebrity photos in their profiles to emulate Americans, to administer more than 150 pro-Trump Facebook groups amplifying its content.