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For some staunch Trump supporters like Follow Philips, from Bloomburg, Pa., the revenue generated by the site augments an existing pro-MAGA activity. Philips is the owner of the toy company Trumparoo, which makes plush kangaroo toys with a tuft of Trump-like orange hair that he sells to passengers in the van trailers he runs on Eventbrite, priced at $ 25 per nobody. (Eventbrite typically charges $ 0.79 per ticket sold plus a 4.5% fee for selling tickets on its platform.)
On January 6, Philips died on the steps of Capitol Hill from a sudden stroke, hours after dropping off a van full of Trump supporters he met at the site at the presidential rally, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Passengers learned of Philips’ death when he did not return to the van. After several calls on his cell phone, a passenger received a call from the Washington police informing him that Philips had died.
Philips’ Eventbrite messages often used inflammatory language to advertise its ridesharing service, telling supporters, “It’s still 1776, if we don’t fight now, we lose our country,” reminding passengers to “be prepared. to FIGHT FOR THE TRUMP! “
Philips’ post for the Jan.6 rally was removed earlier this week, though some of its other posts are still active on the site. Eventbrite officials say Billboard that the company removes content like the Philips post on a daily basis and has made significant investments in monitoring content through self-reporting tools and algorithmic monitoring.
“Our community policy prohibits events, content, or creators that share or encourage violence, illegal activity, and / or misinformation that may cause harm,” the company wrote in a statement sent to Billboard. “In light of the January 6 uprising, we now view the events fueling false statements about the 2020 election as a violation of our policy of harmful disinformation. Any event, content or creator that seeks to hinder democracy is not welcome on our platform. We remain vigilant and will continue to prioritize the early elimination of such events when we become aware of them.
Eventbrite has had a difficult relationship with Trump since adopting the platform during the 2016 Iowa Republican presidential caucus. In 2016, the white nationalist Richard spencer was allowed to list two events on the platform, attracting significant criticism from groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center. After the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., Where a counter-protester was killed, the CEO of Eventbrite Julia hartz started banning hate groups known as the Proud Boys and an anti-Islam activist Brigitte Tudor.
The 2020 decision to ban ‘harmful disinformation’ from its self-service ticketing system came as the company finalized its efforts to terminate Eventbrite Music, a feature-rich ticketing platform that had been used by some of the biggest promoters in the country but who had struggled to develop. losses made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. As of September 30, the company had set aside a reserve fund of $ 50 million to cover losses related to refunds and chargebacks for its music product.
Self-service ticketing was Eventbrite’s original business model and a full comeback should put the company back on track to profitability. But monitoring millions of users requires significant resources.
While Eventbrite quickly determined that high-profile events like the November 13 march violated the company’s community guidelines, Trump supporters love Ashley weiss and Reggie Skyrock Skyrock Patriots had no problem using the platform to sell 400 bus tickets for the January 6 rally – even after being called out by multiple media outlets for selling non-refundable bus tickets for a second grand opening of Trump they promised to take place once President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory has been overturned. (Those Trump inauguration tickets were still on sale at the end of December.)
Billboard contacted Weiss and Skyrock for comment, but did not receive a response.
In total, Weiss and Skyrock ordered nine buses to transport Trump supporters from Joppa and White Marsh, Maryland, to Washington DC on January 6. The 406 seats available were priced at $ 50 per seat, according to Skyrock’s listing page, generating $ 20,300 in sales. Eventbrite typically charges users 4.5% of sales plus $ 0.79 per ticket, which would mean that those sales generated around $ 1,200 for Eventbrite.
Trump supporters are also using the platform on a smaller scale: Peter Boykin with the Gays for Trump group says it often sets up microphones near gatherings where everyone can have their say, raising money through Eventbrite’s donation engine. (Eventbrite charges a 2.5% processing fee for donations collected on its platform.)
“If you are making direct threats against people and your comments are fairly general, [Eventbrite] won’t bother you, “Boykin says, noting that statements about” fighting for your country “are generally acceptable, but making direct allegations against people or groups about the election is” what usually causes trouble. “.
A confirmed Eventbrite manager at Billboard that the company considers Skyrock and Philip’s posts to be violations of their new policy and has removed archived copies. To enhance its existing moderation efforts, Eventbrite has partnered with the Civic Alliance, a bipartisan group that encourages voting participation and civic engagement.
“We also joined a statement with our Civic Alliance partners calling for an orderly and peaceful transition of power,” the company said in a lengthy statement to Billboard. “Through this partnership, we are united with hundreds of other businesses and peer platforms at a critical time to protect the integrity of our electoral process and the functioning of our democratic institutions.”
Eventbrite’s full statement can be found here.
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