eBay announced on Tuesday that it would start removing all items that express support for Russian President Vladimir Putin from its marketplace.
The decision to remove products expressing support for the Russian President is based upon the idea that support for Putin and his invasion of Ukraine breaches the online marketplace’s policy opposing violence.
The company has a”strict policy against items that promote or glorify hatred or violence,” a spokesperson for eBay told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday. Based on this understanding, “merchandise that may indicate support for Vladimir Putin is prohibited on eBay.”
This ban will not restrict access to “historical or education-related books and materials,” the spokesperson added.
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It is unclear how eBay is defining pro-Putin merchandise or how it is restricted. While critical literature such as Putin critic Garry Kasparov’s book on the Russian leader was found while searching for “Vladimir Putin,” several items of merchandise featuring Putin were also for sale, including baseball cards, comedic T-shirts, and action figures.
In contrast, a search for merely “Putin” brought up more anti-Putin products, including shirts proclaiming “F*** Putin.”
It is unclear if eBay’s decision will spark a larger movement among online vendors to censor pro-Putin or pro-Russia products.
Other products expressing pro-Russia messages have become more prominent online in the last week. Amazon customers in the United Kingdom reported on Monday that merchandise featuring “Z,” a new symbol adopted by Russia as a pro-invasion symbol, was on the market, reported iNews. The merchandise was later removed.
Russia Today was also slammed for selling merchandise featuring the Z symbol on its website.
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Technology companies have been encouraged to quell Russian propaganda amid the invasion of Ukraine. This includes social media websites removing Russian state media from its platforms, as well as Ukrainian officials encouraging cryptocurrency companies to sanction and limit Russian access to cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin.
