Acceptable Use Policy
PayPal updated the 'last updated' date and expanded one bullet in its list of prohibited transactions, which bans financial activity tied to hate or discrimination. The policy now explicitly lists protected characteristics (race, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, etc.) and bans not just 'promoting' violence or discrimination but also 'engaging in' or 'celebrating' it. No other changes were made.
Wider rule on what counts as a banned 'hateful' transaction
PayPal now bans more than just promoting hate — it also bans 'engaging in' or 'celebrating' violence or discrimination based on a specific, broader list of traits. Because violating this policy counts as violating PayPal's User Agreement (which can lead to account limits or closure), this wider wording could pull in more types of activity or content than before, giving PayPal more grounds to restrict an account.
“the engagement in, or the encouragement, promotion, or celebration of, violence or discriminatory activity based on race, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, or any characteristic protected under applicable law”
| 1 | 1 | Acceptable Use Policy |
| 2 | 2 | |
| 3 | Last updated on October 29, 2022 | |
| 3 | Last updated on November 4, 2026 | |
± CHANGEDUpdated revision date The document's 'last updated' date changed from October 29, 2022 to November 4, 2026, reflecting this revision. | ||
| 4 | 4 | |
| 5 | 5 | You are independently responsible for complying with all applicable laws in all of your actions related to your use of PayPal's services, regardless of the purpose of the use. In addition, you must adhere to the terms of this Acceptable Use Policy. Violation of this Acceptable Use Policy constitutes a violation of the PayPal User Agreement. |
| 6 | 6 | |
| 7 | 7 | ## Prohibited Activities |
| 8 | 8 | |
| 9 | 9 | You may not use the PayPal service for activities that: |
| 10 | 10 | |
| 11 | 11 | 1. violate any law, statute, ordinance or regulation. |
| 12 | 2. relate to transactions involving (a) narcotics, steroids, certain controlled substances or other products that present a risk to consumer safety, (b) drug paraphernalia, (c) cigarettes, (d) items that encourage, promote, facilitate or instruct others to engage in illegal activity, (e) stolen goods including digital and virtual goods, (f) the promotion of hate, violence, racial or other forms of intolerance that is discriminatory or the financial exploitation of a crime, (g) items that are considered obscene, (h) items that infringe or violate any copyright, trademark, right of publicity or privacy or any other proprietary right under the laws of any jurisdiction, (i) certain sexually oriented materials or services, (j) ammunition, firearms, or certain firearm parts or accessories, or (k) certain weapons or knives regulated under applicable law. | |
| 12 | 2. relate to transactions involving (a) narcotics, steroids, certain controlled substances or other products that present a risk to consumer safety, (b) drug paraphernalia, (c) cigarettes, (d) items that encourage, promote, facilitate or instruct others to engage in illegal activity, (e) stolen goods including digital and virtual goods, (f) the engagement in, or the encouragement, promotion, or celebration of, violence or discriminatory activity based on race, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, or any characteristic protected under applicable law, or the financial exploitation of a crime, (g) items that are considered obscene, (h) items that infringe or violate any copyright, trademark, right of publicity or privacy or any other proprietary right under the laws of any jurisdiction, (i) certain sexually oriented materials or services, (j) ammunition, firearms, or certain firearm parts or accessories, or (k) certain weapons or knives regulated under applicable law. | |
± CHANGEDExpanded ban on hate, violence, and discrimination transactions PayPal broadened the rule banning payments tied to hate or discrimination. Before, it banned the 'promotion' of hate, violence, or discriminatory intolerance. Now it bans 'engaging in,' 'encouraging,' 'promoting,' or 'celebrating' violence or discriminatory activity, and spells out specific protected traits: race, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, or any other legally protected characteristic. | ||
| 13 | 13 | 3. relate to transactions that (a) show the personal information of third parties in violation of applicable law, (b) support pyramid or ponzi schemes, matrix programs, other "get rich quick" schemes or certain multi-level marketing programs, (c) are associated with purchases of annuities or lottery contracts, lay-away systems, off-shore banking or transactions to finance or refinance debts funded by a credit card, (d) are for the sale of certain items before the seller has control or possession of the item, (e) are by payment processors to collect payments on behalf of merchants, (f) are associated with the sale of traveler's checks or money orders, (g) involve currency exchanges or check cashing businesses, (h) involve certain credit repair, debt settlement services, credit transactions or insurance activities, or (i) involve offering or receiving payments for the purpose of bribery or corruption. |
| 14 | 14 | 4. involve the sales of products or services identified by government agencies to have a high likelihood of being fraudulent. |
| 15 | 15 | 5. relate to transactions involving any activity that requires pre-approval without having obtained said approval. |
| 16 | 16 | |
| 17 | 17 | ## Activities Requiring Approval |
| 18 | 18 | |