In recent years, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has been utilized by the Left to demonize organizations with conservative principles. Organizations that promote traditional marriage, oppose gender ideology, and honor conservative family values, have all found themselves on the list of ‘hate groups’ identified by SPLC. It appears that any organization that SPLC doesn’t like gets labeled as a hate group. At one point, the FBI listed SPLC as a resource on it’s hate crimes page, but has since distance itself from SPLC stating, “concerns of SPLC’s lack of credibility continue to grow.”
Online behemoth Amazon, however, continues to utilize SPLC’s list of hate groups to censor conservative non-profit organizations. Amazon reportedly uses SPLC’s data to ban participation of these organizations in the AmazonSmile Charitable Support Program. There is no way for a banned organization to appeal these exclusions. CCA claims that the exclusion of such conservative non-profits detrimentally affects these organizations while furthering SPLC’s political agenda.
In 2018, Amazon removed a Catholic charity from it’s AmazonSmile program. When the St. Benedict Center of Richmond, New Hampshire requested an explanation from Amazon, the company replied, “the AmazonSmile Participation Agreement states that certain categories of organizations are not eligible to participate in AmazonSmile. We rely on the Southern Poverty Law Center to determine which charities are in certain ineligible categories. You have been excluded from the AmazonSmile program because the Southern Poverty Law Center lists Saint Benedict Center Inc. in an ineligible category.”
Other organizations on SPLC’s list and thus targeted for removal from AmazonSmile include, Alliance Defending Freedom (for religious liberty), Coral Ridge Ministries, and The Ruth Institute, all faith-based organizations. Youtube, like Amazon, also utilizes SPLC’s data to monitor and remove video content it claims is extremist. YouTube relies on “Trusted Flaggers” to regulate what it considers hate speech on it’s platform.
