PayPal Holdings Inc. and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) announced a joint partnership on Monday that they say will help them investigate how so-called “extremist and hate movements” use financial platforms to fund their activities.
According to Reuters, “The initiative will be led through ADL’s Center on Extremism, and will focus on uncovering and disrupting the financial flows supporting white supremacist and anti-government organizations.”
Moreover, the partnership “will also look at networks spreading and profiting from antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, anti-immigrant, anti-Black, anti-Hispanic and anti-Asian bigotry.” PayPal proudly announced it will share all the information it gathers through the initiative with others in the financial industry, plus law enforcement and policymakers.
“By identifying partners across sectors with common goals and complementary resources, we can make an even greater impact than any of us could do on our own,” said Aaron Karczmer, PayPal’s chief risk officer and executive vice president. “We are excited to partner with the ADL, other non-profits and law enforcement in our fight against hate in all its forms.”
In a similar tone, the ADL took to Twitter to express its excitement over conspiring with PayPal.
“We’re excited to announce a new partnership with @PayPal to fight extremism and hate,” the tweet read. “We’ve launched a research effort to understand how extremists leverage financial platforms to fund criminal activity.”
We’re excited to announce a new partnership with @PayPal to fight extremism and hate.
We’ve launched a research effort to understand how extremists leverage financial platforms to fund criminal activity. To read more: https://t.co/1iQVHVWBpV pic.twitter.com/1LgISDPsos— ADL (@ADL) July 26, 2021
Given the ADL’s history of promoting leftist talking points, the announced partnership between the nonprofit and PayPal raises concerns about potential targeting of individuals with dissenting political views. Back in April 2021, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt called for advertisers to withdraw their ads from Fox News after Greenblatt falsely claimed host Tucker Carlson was peddling “racist conspiracy theories” when he said the Democrats’ open-border immigration policies could be used to lessen the voting power of Americans.
“Choose to pause or even pull your ads, not just from problematic programs, but altogether from networks that don’t respect all people or that repeat baseless conspiracies that endanger all of us,” Greenblatt said. “As an industry, you are uniquely positioned to push these networks — whether mass media or social media — to do their utmost to ensure that hatred and conspiracy theories are not amplified.”
There are 23 different numbers or fractions – including 2 that involve the number 23 – that ADL defines as "hate symbols" (see below).
ADL, as an organization, is entirely unserious, and allowing them to cut off their political enemies (who are legion) from banking is evil. https://t.co/rjEZ8rRjff pic.twitter.com/rZo4HHuFqD
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) July 26, 2021
Prior to becoming the CEO of ADL, Greenblatt was an adviser to President Barack Obama and headed the administration’s Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation.
