22 Rights Groups Tell PayPal and Venmo to Shape Up Policies on Account Closures

Nearly two dozen rights groups, including the European Legal Support Center (ELSC) and our partner 7amleh, have joined together to tell PayPal and its subsidiary Venmo to shape up its policies on account freezes and closures.

“Companies like PayPal and Venmo have hundreds of millions of users. Access to their services can directly impact an individual, company, or nonprofit’s ability to survive and thrive in our digital world,” said EFF International Director of Freedom of Expression Jillian York. “But while companies like Facebook and YouTube have faced substantial scrutiny for their history of account closures, financial companies like PayPal have often flown under the radar. Now, the human rights community is sending a clear message that it’s time to change.”

PayPal also has an history of closing accounts of Palestinian rights activists and of lacking of services in Palestine, as reported by 7amleh. More than 170 000 people also signed a petition asking PayPal to stop discriminating against Palestinians. Its transparency must be addressed.

Read the full letter to PayPal and Venmo here.