PayPal (Venmo)
Risk Level:
Summary:
PayPal has shut down many accounts, such as the Christian crowdfunding platform GiveSendGo, for purportedly violating its "Acceptable Use Policy." It has banned users without warning for discussing biological differences between males and females. PayPal does not explicitly protect against viewpoint discrimination, and the company promotes the Equality Act. Moreover, PayPal partners with the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to help police charitable organizations by defining "hate groups" and acceptable conduct. PayPal also funds the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Planned Parenthood. For these reasons, PayPal receives a "High Risk" rating.
Has denied service to customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.
PayPal has shut down numerous accounts for violating its Acceptable Use Policy, including GiveSendGo, a widely-used Christian crowdfunding platform (1). PayPal banned evolutionary biologist and writer Colin Wright from receiving payments after Mr. Wright claimed that there are biological differences between males and females and pushed back on postmodern gender theory (2)(3). PayPal also partners with the SPLC to identify “hate groups” and “extremists” and consequently suspend their accounts (4). PayPal received a score of 100 on the Corporate Equality Index from the Human Rights Campaign. Among other requirements, this means PayPal has pledged to vet vendors based on LGBTQ policies (5). PayPal also suspended the account of Moms for Liberty, only unfreezing the account after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis brought the matter to light (6). PayPal has threatened to drop its sponsorship of the Phoenix Suns if the owner remains a part of the organization after serving his one-year suspension for alleged racist and misogynist remarks (7). PayPal canceled the Gmail account of “Gays Against Groomers, “a coalition of gays against the sexualization, indoctrination and medicalization of children” (8)(9). In the fall of 2022, PayPal announced a new Terms of Service Policy that would fine users $2,500 for “misinformation.” After immense and immediate backlash, PayPal changed the policy to fine users for “intolerance” as opposed to “misinformation” (10). PayPal banned Freedom Phone, a mobile phone startup with its own unregulated app store (11). PayPal also suspended the personal account of British journalist Toby Young and later the account for his publication, the Daily Skeptic (12). PayPal reversed those suspensions after pressure from members of the British Parliament. PayPal suspended UsForThem, a group of parents fighting to keep schools open during COVID-19 (13).
Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.
PayPal’s Giving Fund requires that charitable giving is made to organizations that have not breached its Acceptable Use Policy, which prohibits transactions related to “the promotion of hate, violence, racial or other forms of intolerance that is discriminatory” (1). PayPal has partnered with the ADL to vet charitable organizations (2).
Employment policies fail to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation/views and/or religion.
PayPal does not have viewpoint nondiscrimination policies for employees or clients (1).
Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.
PayPal advocates for the Equality Act and transgender participation in youth sports, opposing state efforts to protect women’s and girls’ sports (1)(2). PayPal also denounced election integrity legislation in conservative states (3). PayPal opposed the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, which prohibits teaching gender identity and sexual orientation in schools to kids in K-3rd grade (4). PayPal CEO Dan Schulman released a letter opposing the decision overturning Roe v. Wade (5).
Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.
All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
March 23, 2023
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