[INTRO]
PayPal justified the cancellation of Alex Jones’ account by stating that an extensive review of Infowars’ content found instances that promoted hate and discriminatory intolerance against certain communities and religions. This behavior was deemed to run counter to PayPal’s core value of inclusion, leading to the termination of their business relationship with Jones and his associated websites [1] [2] [5].
Infowars, in response, accused PayPal of engaging in a political ploy designed to financially sabotage an influential media outlet, especially given the timing just weeks before the mid-term elections [1] [5].
[BODY]
The cancellation of Alex Jones’ PayPal account had significant consequences for him and his media platform, InfoWars. Here are the key impacts:
PayPal Cancelation of Alex Jones Financial Impact
– Revenue Loss: PayPal was a major payment processor for InfoWars, handling transactions for the sale of nutritional supplements and other products. The termination of this service likely disrupted the revenue stream, as PayPal was used by a substantial portion of InfoWars’ customers [4] [5].
– E-commerce Challenges: Without PayPal, InfoWars had to find alternative payment processing solutions within a 10-day notice period, which could have led to temporary or permanent loss of sales during the transition [5].
PayPal Cancelation of Alex Jones Broader Deplatforming
– Cumulative Effect: The PayPal ban was part of a broader trend of deplatforming Alex Jones and InfoWars. Prior to PayPal’s decision, other major platforms like Apple, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter had already banned or restricted Jones’ content due to violations of their policies on hate speech and misinformation [4] [5].
– Public Perception: These actions collectively contributed to a narrative that Jones and his platform were being systematically targeted for promoting hate speech and conspiracy theories, which could have influenced public perception and further isolated his media outlets [4].
PayPal Cancelation of Alex Jones Operational Adjustments
– Cryptocurrency Adoption: In response to the PayPal ban, there were calls from Jones’ supporters for InfoWars to adopt cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin as an alternative payment method. This shift represented an adaptation strategy to mitigate the impact of losing access to traditional payment processors [5].
PayPal Cancelation of Alex Jones Legal and Social Ramifications
– Defamation Lawsuits: At the time, Jones was also facing defamation lawsuits from the families of Sandy Hook victims, which added legal and financial pressures. The loss of a major payment processor like PayPal could have compounded these challenges by reducing his financial resources to fight these legal battles [4].
Overall, the cancellation of Alex Jones’ PayPal account was a significant blow to his business operations, contributing to financial strain and necessitating rapid adjustments in how InfoWars processed payments. This move was part of a larger pattern of deplatforming by major tech companies in response to Jones’ controversial content.
Citations INTRO:
[4] https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-45719245
Citations BODY:
[2] https://uk.style.yahoo.com/paypal-cancels-alex-jones-account-160002771.html
[4] https://www.businessinsider.com/paypal-ends-business-relationship-with-infowars-2018-9