Alex Jones sues PayPal over InfoWars ban

The lawsuit alleges Silicon Valley firms are 'discriminating against politically conservative entities and individuals'

Infowars host Alex Jones addresses his thoughts on Sandy Hook shooting being a hoax (Reuters)

Far right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is suing PayPal over claims that his InfoWars website was blocked due to political bias.

PayPal is one of several technology companies that have banned the controversial site from their platform, with Twitter, Facebook and Spotify all saying that Mr Jones' promotion of hate and violence is in violation of their policies.

InfoWars has previously reported that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012 – in which 20 students and six staff members were killed – was a hoax.

In a 15-page complaint, Mr Jones' company Free Speech Systems claims that the bans are purely political.

"It is at this point well known that large tech companies, located primarily in Silicon Valley, are discriminating against politically conservative entities and individuals, including banning them from social media platforms such as Twitter, based solely on their political and ideological viewpoints," the complaint states.

It goes on to claim that there is "no adequate payment alternative" to PayPal, meaning InfoWars has lost a significant proportion of its revenue as a result of the ban.

"PayPal has eliminated competitors and has taken a dominant market position in online payment processing," it states. "Having effectively cornered the market, it is now using that market power to restrain conservative trade and commerce."

The lawsuit alleges that PayPal is in violation of the California Unruh Civil Rights Act – a piece of legislation that outlaws discrimination based on sex, race, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, or sexual orientation.

InfoWars host Alex Jones interviews a guest on his controversial show (InfoWars)

The 1959 law applies to all businesses in California, where PayPal and many other technology firms are based, however it does not specifically mention political affiliation.

PayPal told Courthouse News that the federal lawsuit was unjustified and rejected the allegations made by Jones.

"PayPal is aware of the filing and believes the claims in the complaint are without merit," said PayPal spokesman Justin Higgs. "PayPal looks forward to vigorously defending itself."