Dear Readers,
Social media has been ablaze for the past several days as commentators around the world have seemingly rallied against what many consider to be a gross overreach of authority by GoFundMe, the self-proclaimed “#1 Fundraising Platform for Crowdfunding”. The story actually begins though several weeks ago, when a large group of cross-border truckers organized against a mandate proposed by the Canadian government that required them to submit to COVID-19 vaccination. As with most things related to COVID-19 these days, the movement quickly became politicized, with both supporters and detractors vying for global attention. When GoFundMe came under pressure on various fronts last week, the company not only paused a fundraiser dedicated to the trucker convoy, but also seized around $10 million Canadian dollars donated by tens of thousands of supporters, saying:
To ensure GoFundMe remains a trusted platform, we work with local authorities to ensure we have a detailed, factual understanding of events taking place on the ground. Following a review of relevant facts and multiple discussions with local law enforcement and city officials, this fundraiser is now in violation of our Terms of Service and has been removed from the platform.
