By Elias Schisgall
Stripe said it does not deny users access to its platform based on political views following a letter from the Federal Trade Commission warning the payment processor against "debanking" based on political or religious grounds.
"At Stripe, we do not restrict access to our services based on political viewpoints or affiliation," a Stripe spokesperson said in a statement Friday morning.
On Thursday FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson sent warning letters to Stripe, Mastercard, Visa, and PayPal, cautioning that deplatforming customers or denying them access to services based on politics or religion could lead to FTC investigations or enforcement actions.
He cited President Trump's August executive order on debanking, which he said "makes clear that it is unacceptable to debank law-abiding citizens due to 'political affiliations, religious beliefs, or lawful business activities."
Ferguson's letter to Stripe cited the company's decision to stop processing payments for Trump's campaign website following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Stripe cut off Trump's campaign account for violating policies against encouraging violence, The Wall Street Journal reported at the time.
"Despite its terms of service, and representations to customers that it 'does not discriminate based on political affiliation or viewpoints,' in recent years, concerns have been raised about Stripe's potential treatment of its customers, in particular its efforts to deny them access to services due to their political or religious views, that raise serious questions about whether Stripe is acting in accordance with its terms of service," Ferguson wrote in the Thursday letter.
Write to Elias Schisgall at elias.schisgall@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
03-27-26 1040ET
