PayPal—PayPal permanently suspended accounts of antiwar media outlets Consortium News and MintPress News
In 2022, PayPal permanently suspended the accounts of antiwar publications Consortium News and MintPress News without warning or clear explanation. PayPal froze funds including $9,348 in Consortium News' account and threatened to seize the money as 'damages.' Neither outlet was given a specific reason for the ban. The suspensions occurred during the Russia-Ukraine war period and were criticized as financial censorship of independent journalism.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Internet & Web Freedom | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Press Freedom | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.429 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (medium ×1) × confidence (0.57)
Evidence (1 signal)
PayPal permanently suspended Consortium News and MintPress News accounts, froze funds without explanation
In 2022, PayPal permanently suspended accounts of antiwar publications Consortium News and MintPress News without warning. PayPal froze $9,348 in Consortium News' account and threatened to seize the funds as 'damages.' Editor Joe Lauria reported the account was 'permanently limited' during a fundraising drive. MintPress founder Mnar Adley said PayPal representatives could not explain the ban.