Posted on January 8, 2021

PayPal and Shopify Remove Trump-Related Accounts

Laura Hautala, CNET, January 7, 2021

Online commerce and payment services have stopped the flow of money to Trump-related accounts in light of Wednesday’s insurrection at the US Capitol. Software maker Shopify removed stores affiliated with President Donald Trump from its platform, and payment processor PayPal shut down an account raising funds for Trump supporters who traveled to Washington, DC.

The moves come the day after a mob of Trump supporters took over the US Capitol, forcing an evacuation of the building before lawmakers could finish recording electoral votes from the 2020 presidential election, won by Joe Biden. The account takedowns follow freezes on Trump’s social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat.

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Shopify said Thursday that the Trump stores, affiliated with the Trump campaign and Trump Organization, violated its policies prohibiting users from promoting or supporting organizations that foment violence.

“Shopify does not tolerate actions that incite violence,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “Based on recent events, we have determined that the actions by President Donald J. Trump violate our Acceptable Use Policy, which prohibits promotion or support of organizations, platforms or people that threaten or condone violence to further a cause.”

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PayPal said the group raising money for Trump supporters, called Joy In Liberty, also violated its rules. “PayPal carefully reviews accounts to ensure our services are used in line with our long-standing policy,” the company said. “We do not allow PayPal services to be used to promote hate, violence or other forms of intolerance.”

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