SAN FRANCISCO PayPal has become the latest tech giant to cut off Infowars, the conspiracy website run by the right-wing provocateur Alex Jones.
Infowars was informed by PayPal on Thursday night that it would have 10 business days to find a new payment processor.
PayPal handles all transactions, including credit cards, for the Infowars online store. The store has been a significant source of revenue for the company, selling vitamins and nutritional supplements, as well as Infowars-branded apparel. PayPal has also handled donations that Infowars receives from its supporters.
PayPal acted weeks after Twitter, Facebook and other large tech companies blocked Infowars from their services. Most of those companies said the site had violated their policies by promoting hate speech and misinformation.
PayPal said it had made its decision not because of any policy violation but because Infowars promotion of hate and discrimination runs counter to our core value of inclusion.
Our values are the foundation for the decision we made this week, PayPal added.
The aggressive steps against Infowars have become fodder for claims that Silicon Valley companies are biased against conservative voices an opinion expressed by President Trump and a number of Republican officials. Jeff Sessions, the United States attorney general, plans to meet with Republican state attorneys general next week to discuss the tech industry, competition and free speech.
Mr. Jones attended a recent Senate hearing where Twitters Jack Dorsey and Facebooks Sheryl Sandberg discussed efforts by their companies to deal with disinformation on their platforms. And after a separate House hearing that directly addressed Republican claims that Twitter was biased against conservatives, Mr. Jones tried to confront Mr. Dorsey on Mr. Dorseys way out.
After the phaseout period of 10 business days, PayPal will stop doing any business with Infowars and its subsidiaries, like the site Prison Planet, a PayPal spokesman said.
The spokesman declined to cite any specific problems that had led to the decision, but said that after extensive reviews the company had found many instances of content that promoted hate and discriminatory intolerance against certain communities and religions.
This is not the first time that PayPal has waded into politically fraught territory. In 2010, the company cut off payments to WikiLeaks. More recently, PayPal stopped working with neo-Nazi and alt-right websites.
Records from 2014 show that Mr. Joness operations were bringing in nearly $20 million, mostly from supplements, such as Super Male Vitality, which purports to increase testosterone, that he hawks on his radio shows, The New York Times recently reported.
Since being barred from Facebook and Twitter, Infowars has had to find new online platforms, and its audience has fallen off significantly. But PayPals decision may be particularly damaging, because it will be much harder for Infowars to find another company to handle transactions for the site.
For now, Infowars is still able to sell at least some of its goods on Amazon and eBay, where its payments are not handled by PayPal.
An article on the Infowars site that announced PayPals decision said the move was a political ploy designed to financially sabotage an influential media outlet just weeks before the midterm elections.
The article said PayPal had told Infowars that the decision was made because Infowars had violated its acceptable use policy. PayPals spokesman said its decision went beyond the violation of any single policy.
Right Wing Watch, a progressive advocacy organization, published an article in August pointing out areas where Infowars appeared to be violating PayPals terms of service. At the time, PayPal did not take action and offered no comment.
Infowars did not respond to an email requesting comment.
Poster Comment:
#1: A K A Stone To: Willie Green (#0)
Fuck pay pal and big tech. Regulate them into oblivion.
Or be a slave like green Willie sucker.
A K A Stone posted on 2018-09-22 10:37:52 Reply Private Reply
#2: A K A Stone To: Willie Green (#0)
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to protect American consumers and workers and encourage competition in the U.S. economy, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Policy. Online platforms are central to American commerce and the free flow of news and information. Whether reading news or looking for local businesses, citizens rely on search, social media, and other online platforms to provide objective and reliable information to shape a host of decisions ranging from consumer purchases to votes in elections. Because of their critical role in American society, it is essential that American citizens are protected from anticompetitive acts by dominant online platforms. Vibrant competition in the online ecosystem is essential to ensuring accountability for the platforms that hold so much sway over our economy and democratic process.
[Can expand this section, if necessary, to provide more detail on role of platforms and the importance of competition]
Section 2. Agency Responsibilities. (a) Executive departments and agencies with authorities that could be used to enhance competition among online platforms (agencies) shall, where consistent with other laws, use those authorities to promote competition and ensure that no online platform exercises market power in a way that harms consumers, including through the exercise of bias.
(b) Agencies with authority to investigate anticompetitive conduct shall thoroughly investigate whether any online platform has acted in violation of the antitrust laws, as defined in subsection (a) of the first section of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. § 12, or any other law intended to protect competition.
(c) Should an agency learn of possible or actual anticompetitive conduct by a platform that the agency lacks the authority to investigate and/or prosecute, the matter should be referred to the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Competition of the Federal Trade Commission.
(d) Not later than 30 days from the date of this order, agencies shall submit to the Director of the National Economic Council an initial list of (1) actions each agency can potentially take to protect competition among online platforms and address online platform bias; (2) any relevant authorities and tools potentially available to enhance competition among and protect the users of online platforms.
(e) Not later than 60 days from the date of this order, agencies shall report to the President, through the Director of the National Economic Council, recommendations on agency-specific actions in response to paragraphs (d) of this section. Such recommendations shall include a list of priority actions, including rulemakings, as well as timelines for completing those actions.
Section 3. General Provisions. (a) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(b) Independent agencies are strongly encouraged to comply with the requirements of this order.
(c) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to a department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(d) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
A K A Stone posted on 2018-09-22 10:55:06 Reply Private Reply
#3: VxH To: A K A Stone (#1)
VxH posted on 2018-09-24 09:18:35 Reply Private Reply
#4: IbJensen To: A K A Stone (#1)
IbJensen posted on 2018-09-24 12:05:26 Reply Private Reply
#5: Deckard To: IbJensen, sneakypete, A K A Stone (#4)
IIRC - sneakypete has been boycotting them for a while even before this.
Maybe he could explain why.
Deckard posted on 2018-09-24 12:28:27 Reply Private Reply
#6: VxH To: A K A Stone (#1)
LOL. Pay Pal is a private bidness.
And equating Jone's laughable, zionist, disinfotainment garbage to anti-black racism is ludicrous.
What protected class do you think he's a member of, captain delete button?
VxH posted on 2018-09-24 12:50:57 Reply Private Reply
#7: VxH To: Willie Green (#0)
What'dya think Willie - Do Jones and his fan club make it self-evident that the strategy described by Bezmenov was a monumental success or what?
VxH posted on 2018-09-24 13:02:52 Reply Private Reply
#8: Hondo68 To: A K A Stone, VxH, Deckard (#1)
It's a private business, they can refuse service to anyone without any explanation. Are you saying that the government should force bakeries to make gay wedding cakes? If they have to serve Alex Jones, they would have to pander to gays too including online porn sales payments, etc under the same law that you advocate. Maybe you should reconsider your request for big stupid nanny state government intervention.
It will be easy for Alex Jones to find another company to take his money. I'd take his money, if I were in that business. Or he could hire a couple of competent financial people to process his orders, and maybe even expand it into another business that handles payments for others doing online sales.
Hondo68 posted on 2018-09-24 13:21:13 Reply Private Reply
#9: sneakypete To: Deckard (#5)
You have me confused with someone else. I use PP daily. It's my preferred way to pay bills online.
Interest-free loans for 6 months with no payments???? How the HELL can you beat that?
Plus,add the fact that none of your credit card or bank account information is released to the people you buy from,and it's a no-brainer.
sneakypete posted on 2018-09-24 16:26:56 Reply Private Reply
#10: sneakypete To: hondo68 (#8)
I hate it when I have to agree with you on something.
STOP THAT!
sneakypete posted on 2018-09-24 16:28:44 Reply Private Reply
#11: CZ82 To: A K A Stone, Vicomte13 (#1)
But we have to keep them alive so they can vote Democrat and sire children that will grow up to be criminals if they're not aborted.
CZ82 posted on 2018-09-24 16:39:16 Reply Private Reply
#12: Deckard To: sneakypete (#9)
For a while, you had this as your tagline, didn't you?
BOYCOTT PAYPAL AND CLOSE YOUR PP ACCOUNTS NOW! ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO DO SO,TOO!
https://libertysflame.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=49917&Disp=4#C4
I asked you about it once but don't remember why you were against PP.
Deckard posted on 2018-09-24 17:54:20 Reply Private Reply
#13: Jameson To: Willie Green (#0)
Who really cares...?
The morons who wish to buy this con-man's snake oil will find a way, and the ignorant will continue to follow...
scrape them all off
Jameson posted on 2018-09-24 18:36:05 Reply Private Reply
#14: sneakypete To: Deckard (#12)
It sure looks that way,but I don't remember it.
Or why.
sneakypete posted on 2018-09-24 23:36:23 Reply Private Reply
#15: A K A Stone To: Jameson (#13)
So in your fucked up mind. Big tech and big companies should be to cut you off if you say the wrong thing.
Your thinking needs to die.
A K A Stone posted on 2018-09-24 23:47:23 Reply Private Reply
#16: BorisY To: A K A Stone (#15)
Reminds me of ' campaign finance reform '
vs free speech
The road To hell is paved wiTh good inTenTions
The resulTs are really bad
I'm noT a fan of alex jones
Too much disinformaTion
people need To decide for Themselves
love
boris
BorisY posted on 2018-09-25 01:32:10 Reply Private Reply
#17: Vicomte13 To: A K A Stone (#15)
I'm of two minds on this.
The first is the Republican mind, which teaches me that these big tech companies have created and own and operate the space, and as such, have the legal right to decide who may and may not post there, just like you own this website and can permit or ban anyone as you please. That's my private property rights mind.
Then there is my "public space" and anti-monopoly power mind, which says that there is a public space, that people have free speech, and that ultimately the providers of Internet space, especially the huge ones, are quasi monopolies. Like power utilities, they provide a necessary service to the public, and, because of their quasi-monopoly status, the public is a captive audience. They earn huge profits from doing so, and that is their reward: the profits. Because the service they provide is vital, they must not also be permitted, beyond profit, to exert other power, political power - which is what political content control is.
It doesn't matter that the power company owns the lines, or the water company owns the pipes. They are permitted the monopoly, but their rates are regulated. They make a good profit, but they are not permitted to price gouge. And they MUST provide power or water to every single person who pays. That it's a private company is irrelevant when it comes to service. They power company may own the lines, and the water company may own the pipes, but they cannot have the right that businesses normally have to decide who they will. Because of their unique monopoly status, the usual right of businesses to choose their customers must be stripped from them. The power company cannot decide to cut off the power to Communists or Republicans or Democrats or fascists or drug users or whomever. They must be compelled to sell power to ANYBODY who pays for it. They have a monopoly over a vital thing. They are allowed to profit, but they are NOT allowed ANY control over whom they serve. It is more important that everybody have power and water than it is to protect the rights of businesses (power and water companies) to decide who their customers are. Ultimately, public need of vital services trumps private property rights. The consolation prize for the utilities is that they get a guaranteed profit and they get eminent domain powers and all sorts of rights and privileges.
Those are the two competing thoughts. In my mind, with big Internet, the second one prevails. It's a utility. They cannot be permitted to censor.
Vicomte13 posted on 2018-09-25 06:11:14 Reply Private Reply
#18: Jameson To: A K A Stone (#15)
ok....First - I believe this is what you meant to say:
"..Big tech and big companies should be **allowed** to cut you off - if you say the wrong thing..."
Second - I said no such thing. I said:
"...Who really cares...?"
And allow me to further explain, Jones is a scamming swindler preying on the willfully ignorant and truly stupid.
Paypal cut him off? Who really cares?
I suggest that the only people who care belong to one of the two affore mentioned groups.
Jameson posted on 2018-09-25 07:20:12 Reply Private Reply
#19: A K A Stone To: Vicomte13 (#17)
A K A Stone posted on 2018-09-25 09:08:03 Reply Private Reply
#20: A K A Stone To: Jameson (#18)
A K A Stone posted on 2018-09-25 09:09:48 Reply Private Reply
#21: Jameson To: A K A Stone (#20)
This is purely your incorrect conclusion, and does not represent my position at all.
Jameson posted on 2018-09-25 09:41:42 Reply Private Reply
#22: VxH To: A K A Stone (#19)
Every company that uses the internet should be subject to the 1st amendment.
Sounds good to me.
Truth is great and will prevail...
Unless there's some dip stick with a delete button.
VxH posted on 2018-09-25 16:24:10 Reply Private Reply