PayPal
Corprate Bias Ratings
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. The company vets vendors according to LGBTQ policies and covers the cost of "medically necessary transition-related care” for its employees and their children. The company does not appear to discriminate against religious organizations in its charitable giving guidelines, but does not provide viewpoint protections for its emplyoees. PayPal funds Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and is a gold partner of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). The company 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 has made multiple donations to the Congressional Black Caucus. 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 Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index. Among other requirements, this means the company has a written policy pledging to vet vendors for LGBTQ policies (5)(6). PayPal also suspended the account of Moms for Liberty, only unfreezing the account after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis brought the matter to light (7). 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 (8). PayPal canceled the Gmail account of “Gays Against Groomers, “a coalition of gays against the sexualization, indoctrination and medicalization of children” (9)(10). 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” (11). PayPal banned Freedom Phone, a mobile phone startup with its own unregulated app store (12). PayPal also suspended the personal account of British journalist Toby Young and later the account for his publication, the Daily Skeptic (13). 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 (14).
Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.
PayPal does not appear to discriminate against religious organizations in its charitable giving (1).
Employment policies fail to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation/views and/or religion.
PayPal does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (1).
Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.
PayPal advocates for the Equality Act and was part of the Freedom for All Americans coalition, which advocated for federal legislation that would overrule state laws designed to protect girls’ sports and similar laws (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). CEO, Dan Schulman, is a member of the Business Roundtable, but has not supported ideological initiatives (6). PayPal is committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2040 (7).
Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.
PayPal has a perfect score on the HRC’s 2022 Corporate Equality Index. This score indicates the company covers the cost of “medically necessary transition-related care” for its employees and their children (1)(2). PayPal’s Giving Fund has donated to the ACLU and Planned Parenthood and recently partnered with the ADL (3)(4)(5). PayPal covers abortion-related travel costs for its employees (6). The company is a gold partner of the HRC (7).
All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
December 6, 2023
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