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Shopify Inc. has taken down a site promoted by rapper Kanye West, known as Ye, that was selling swastika shirts.
“All merchants are responsible for following the rules of our platform. This merchant did not engage in authentic commerce practices and violated our terms so we removed them from Shopify,” the company said in a statement.
The musician and designer ran a commercial during the Super Bowl on Sunday telling people to “go to yeezy.com.” The site featured a single item for sale on Monday: a white shirt with a black Nazi swastika in its centre, under the product name HH-01. The site’s source code and privacy policy showed it was hosted by Shopify, the Ottawa-based Canadian e-commerce platform.
The commercial led to widespread outcry, including condemnation from the Anti-Defamation League, as well as renewed scrutiny of social media posts Ye shared in recent days praising Hitler.
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A representative for Ye didn’t immediately reply to an emailed request for comment.
Shopify loosened its acceptable use rules last year. The policy still says users can’t do anything illegal when conducting business, but the company removed a clause banning “hateful content.” Selling goods sporting a swastika is illegal in Germany and other countries.
The e-commerce company also hosts a store that sells Holocaust denial merchandise, Bloomberg reported in November, which remains online.
Shopify also released its fourth-quarter earnings Tuesday, beating revenue estimates. The shares were down 1.1 percent at 10:44 AM in Toronto.
By Thomas Seal
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