Apple has disabled its payments system on websites that sell white supremacist and Nazi-themed merchandise, according to a report from BuzzFeed News. The move, which follows the violent white nationalist attacks in Charlottesville, Virginia this past weekend that left one counter-protestor dead, means three websites that peddle in “White Pride” t-shirts and accessories with Nazi logos can no longer process payments through Apple Pay.
The websites, including AmericanVikings.com and VinlandClothing.com (the third site, called Behold Barbarity, has already gone offline), were found to be in violation of Apple’s “acceptable use guidelines.” Those rules prohibit use of Apple Pay in a way that promotes “hate, violence, or intolerance based on race, age, gender, gender identity, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation.” The owner of AmericanVikings, a “pro-white” man named Brien James, told BuzzFeed he was unaware of the Apple Pay integration in the first place and didn’t seem too upset with the decision.
However, while Apple Pay is a relatively small player compared to larger web payment processors and credit card companies, the company’s move to distance itself from white nationalist merchandizing appears to be having a ripple effect. Discover told BuzzFeed News, “In light of recent events, we are terminating merchant agreements with hate groups, given the violence incited by their extremist views.”
PayPal and Stripe, the two leading web payment processors, are also in the process of disabling their services for the smattering of white nationalist sites now coming to light in the aftermath of Charlottesville. A Stripe spokesperson told The Verge that it has already removed several accounts related to the Charlottesville event, but that the company, as a policy, does not comment on individual account holders or disclose their information. Stripe also has “a long-standing policy that prohibits groups that incite or engage in violence from using Stripe,” the spokesperson added. PayPal has already banned two of the three above mentioned sites, the company told BuzzFeed.
PayPal, while still associated with a number of controversial political organizations, did ban the neo-Nazi site The Daily Stormer back in 2014. The site, which promotes white supremacy and ridiculed the dead victim of the Charlottesville event, has recently found itself without a web hosting provider or a Facebook presence. A number of other tech companies have gone even further in dropping support of hate sites and white supremacist organizations, including web hosting providers GoDaddy and Squarespace and platform-owning firms like Facebook, Twitter, GoFundMe, Airbnb, MailChimp, Uber, and WordPress.
Update at 1PM ET, 8/17: Added comment from Stripe.
Comments
Glad to see these companies taking a stand cutting off these assholes at the knees.
By dwman on 08.16.17 7:32pm
Sad that it took was a white woman being killed & a racist President for this to occur but I’m glad something is being done.
By Black Dude on 08.16.17 9:10pm
Too right, mate.
By SunAraw on 08.16.17 10:21pm
Sometimes you need bad sh*t to happen to shine a brighter light.
By Disdain on 08.17.17 8:16am
Fact is bad shit has been happening to black people for days/weeks/months on end within this administration. The light is just getting shone on it now because a white woman was murdered in a hate rally while protesting against white supremacy. It’s not a reach to assume this level of action by so many companies wouldn’t be occurring if it were another black man. This is the reality of the world we live in. White privilege still exudes itself here. But in the end I’m still glad it’s occurring.
By Black Dude on 08.17.17 9:52am
Terrible things were happening all throughout the last administration too, and nothing was done then despite that having been, perhaps, a better time to get anything done.
Let’s not scapegoat here.
By s_bl on 08.17.17 11:55am
I’m not scapegoating. The conversation was not about the last administration. I’m not blaming Trump for racists. I said Trump is a racist, which is fact, I said it’s sad a white woman had to die for this to happen, which is how I feel. And I said it’s unfortunate that it took both of these circumstances to have some type of pushback against white supremacy. I’m well aware of the shit that’s been occurring for black people for hundreds of years, I’m a well educated/observant Black Dude. Barack Obama was not racist & many laws/policies he wanted to enact were blocked by the racism that exists within the government itself.
By Black Dude on 08.17.17 12:38pm
I’m actually a bit disgusted about all these "knew jerk" reactions from various companies.
What…. this was all good 2 weeks ago? And now that one person is killed all of a sudden Apple, etc. are "standing up" against KKK?
By kirko7 on 08.17.17 9:51am
Stuff flies below the radar until it doesn’t. There has been a call to action so they are acting. There is nothing confusing about it
By RF9 on 08.17.17 12:56pm
That’s right. Fuck Nazis!!!
By Kiko0007 on 08.16.17 7:58pm
Well, not literally of course.
By Supraman21 on 08.17.17 12:10am
N A Z I P U N K S F U C K O F F
By graha.me on 08.16.17 8:14pm
Amazon still sells this nazi shit:
https://www.amazon.com/Make-America-Great-Again-Campaign/dp/B01GQI49FQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1502936325&sr=8-2&keywords=trump
By SunAraw on 08.16.17 10:20pm
I was thinking about where to pick up one of those hats. Thanks for the link!
By s_bl on 08.16.17 11:14pm
As a Newfoundlander, this upsets and disappoints me. I would put money on none of the people running it even know about Newfoundland, certainly not enough to be using its (original European) name.
By mbarriault on 08.17.17 3:31am
Unless the verge took out the trash, I can honestly say I thought this comment section would be pitiful.
By Stone Cold Dan Quinn on 08.17.17 9:54am
Why don’t you begin with infowars, Apple? I’m waiting…
By Ghost Of Sparta on 08.17.17 11:54am
That’ll teach em! …All kidding aside, good for Apple.
By 20mikemike on 08.17.17 11:57am
They’re only trying to hop on the coattails of unpopular opinion. That’s the real travesty.
Somehow they decide now to do it vs when it first came up?
Eh heh.
By s_bl on 08.17.17 11:58am