Shopify Revives A ‘Hateful Content’ Ban Amid Sales Of Racist Merchandise

Shopify Inc. tightened rules against “hateful content” as users sell racist merchandise using its popular e-commerce platform, roughly a year after removing a similar ban.

A company help page describing prohibited product types on its app and payment system Shop was updated since May to add a ban on “products promoting hateful content, violence, gore, profanity or offensive content,” based on archived versions of the website reviewed by Bloomberg News.

It’s a policy reversal for Canada’s most valuable technology company. Last July, Shopify removed a ban on hateful content from its acceptable use policy. That hasn’t been reinstated, but new rules have come in for merchants who use its Shop sales channel, which has “additional prohibited product types,” according to the website.

In November, Bloomberg reported a store hosted by Shopify was selling Holocaust-denial merchandise in the wake of the previous policy change. On Monday, the URL for that retailer led to a holding page saying the store was unavailable. However, other pages using Shopify selling goods with Nazi, racist, sexist and other discriminatory images were still online as of Monday.

Shopify didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Tobi Lutke, founder and chief executive officer of Ottawa-based Shopify, articulated his “free speech” ethos for the business in a 2017 essay.

In February, the rapper Kanye West, also known as Ye, used Shopify’s platform to sell shirts emblazoned with a swastika. His store was taken down by the company after a public outcry. Shopify said the removal was for not engaging “in authentic commerce practices.”

Earlier this month, Shopify briefly became Canada’s most valuable public company, though it has since been surpassed again by Royal Bank of Canada. It has a market capitalization of about C$252 billion ($182 billion).