The Knock ReportIncident archive · est. 2026

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16 incidents matching your filters.

July 2023

02

Jul 19, 2023London, UK

Coutts closes Nigel Farage's accounts; internal dossier prompts NatWest CEO resignation and UK debanking reform

In March 2023, Coutts — the private banking arm of NatWest Group — closed accounts held by Nigel Farage, the former UKIP and Brexit Party leader. The bank initially indicated to the BBC, via NatWest CEO Dame Alison Rose, that Farage had fallen below Coutts' wealth threshold. After Farage obtained a 40-page internal Wealth Reputational Risk Committee dossier through a Subject Access Request, The Telegraph published the document on July 19, 2023; it described Farage's public views as 'at odds with our values.' Dame Alison Rose resigned July 26, 2023; Coutts CEO Peter Flavel resigned days later. The UK Financial Conduct Authority opened a review and Parliament tightened bank account-closure rules.

Banking/Platform Restrictions#Nigel Farage#Coutts

Jul 13, 2023Cape Coral, FL

JPMorgan Chase closes accounts of Dr. Joseph Mercola, his health company, and personal accounts of executives

On July 13, 2023, JPMorgan Chase notified Dr. Joseph Mercola — an osteopathic physician and natural-health retailer named in a 2021 report on COVID-19 vaccine 'misinformation' cited by the U.S. Surgeon General — that it was closing all of his business banking accounts, his company's investment accounts, and the personal accounts of his CEO and CFO and members of their families. Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis opened an inquiry; Chase responded by citing 'regulatory scrutiny' by federal authorities without further specifics.

Banking/Platform Restrictions#Joseph Mercola#Chase

October 2022

01

Oct 4, 2022Washington, DC

JPMorgan Chase closes National Committee for Religious Freedom account and requests donor list

In late spring 2022, JPMorgan Chase closed the bank account of the National Committee for Religious Freedom (NCRF), a 501(c)(4) nonprofit chaired by former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom and Kansas Governor Sam Brownback. According to Brownback, Chase later told the group that it could provide a donor list and other information for review — a demand NCRF declined. The episode was disclosed publicly in October 2022 and prompted a March 2023 letter from 19 state attorneys general to JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon.

Banking/Platform Restrictions#NCRF#Sam Brownback

September 2022

01

Sep 20, 2022London, UK

PayPal closes Free Speech Union and Daily Sceptic accounts; controversial '$2,500 misinformation fine' policy withdrawn

On September 20, 2022, PayPal permanently limited accounts belonging to the UK-based Free Speech Union, the news site Daily Sceptic, and Toby Young's personal account, as well as accounts for the U.S. nonprofit Gays Against Groomers. Following backlash and political pressure from UK MPs, PayPal reinstated the Free Speech Union and Daily Sceptic on September 27. In early October 2022 a separately archived update to PayPal's Acceptable Use Policy included a provision authorizing fines of up to $2,500 per violation for promoting 'misinformation'; following further public backlash PayPal said the language had been included 'in error' and withdrew it.

Banking/Platform Restrictions#PayPal#Free Speech Union

May 2022

01

May 1, 2022New York, NY

PayPal permanently closes accounts of Consortium News and MintPress News amid Ukraine war coverage

In late April and early May 2022, PayPal permanently limited the donation accounts of two independent left-leaning news outlets — Consortium News (founded in 1995 by the late AP and Newsweek journalist Robert Parry) and MintPress News — both of which had published coverage skeptical of mainstream Western narratives about Russia's invasion of Ukraine. PayPal initially indicated Consortium News could restore its account but later said the reversal was 'a mistake' and the ban was permanent. PayPal did not publicly specify which policies were violated.

Banking/Platform Restrictions#PayPal#Consortium News

February 2022

01

Feb 4, 2022Ottawa, ON

GoFundMe freezes and terminates Freedom Convoy fundraiser, then reverses to issue full refunds

On February 4, 2022, GoFundMe terminated the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser — which had raised more than $10 million for Canadian truckers protesting COVID-19 mandates — citing terms-of-service violations involving violence and unlawful activity at the Ottawa occupation and Ambassador Bridge blockade. The platform initially announced it would redirect funds to charities, then reversed within 24 hours after backlash and threats of investigation from multiple U.S. state attorneys general, offering full refunds to donors.

Banking/Platform Restrictions#GoFundMe#Freedom Convoy

January 2022

01

Jan 17, 2022Eden Prairie, MN

Mike Lindell says Minnesota Bank & Trust and Heartland Financial closed MyPillow and personal accounts citing 'reputation risk'

In January and February 2022, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell publicly stated that Heartland Financial USA and its subsidiary Minnesota Bank & Trust had asked him to close nine bank accounts — including accounts for three nonprofits — and ultimately terminated MyPillow's banking relationship. Lindell, a prominent promoter of 2020 election-fraud allegations who had been subpoenaed by the House January 6 Select Committee weeks earlier, said the bank cited 'reputation risk.' The bank did not publicly detail its reasons.

Banking/Platform Restrictions#Mike Lindell#MyPillow

January 2021

01

Jan 10, 2021San Francisco, CA

Stripe terminates payment processing for Trump campaign after January 6 Capitol attack

On approximately January 10–11, 2021, the payment processor Stripe stopped handling transactions for the Donald J. Trump for President campaign, citing violations of policies prohibiting the encouragement or incitement of violence in connection with the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The termination was one of a wave of platform actions against Trump that week. Trump and supporters characterized the coordinated actions as political censorship of a sitting U.S. president.

Banking/Platform Restrictions#Stripe#Donald Trump

December 2020

01

Dec 10, 2020Montreal, QC

Visa and Mastercard suspend payments to Pornhub following New York Times investigation

On December 10, 2020, Mastercard and Visa announced they were ceasing card-payment processing for Pornhub after a New York Times investigation by Nicholas Kristof alleged the platform hosted child sexual abuse material and non-consensual content. Pornhub's parent company MindGeek responded by removing approximately 10 million unverified user-uploaded videos. Critics including digital rights groups raised concerns about payment processors functioning as extrajudicial content regulators while welcoming action against illegal material.

Banking/Platform Restrictions#Pornhub#MindGeek

December 2018

01

Dec 13, 2018San Francisco, CA

Patreon bans commentator Carl Benjamin ('Sargon of Akkad') for off-platform speech; major creators leave in protest

On December 13, 2018, Patreon permanently banned British YouTuber Carl Benjamin, known as 'Sargon of Akkad,' citing its hate-speech policy and an off-platform video in which Benjamin used a racial slur in a rhetorical exchange with a white-nationalist group. Patreon said it had applied its policies consistently. Benjamin and a cohort of supporters — including Sam Harris, Jordan Peterson, and Dave Rubin — disputed the application and several publicly left the platform; Harris and Rubin later co-founded the competing service Locals.

Banking/Platform Restrictions#Patreon#Sargon of Akkad

October 2018

01

Oct 28, 2018Austin, TX

Gab social network loses payment, hosting, and registrar services in 24 hours following Pittsburgh synagogue shooting

On October 27–28, 2018, PayPal, Stripe, GoDaddy, and Joyent simultaneously terminated services for Gab.com, a social network marketed as a free-speech alternative to Twitter, after the perpetrator of the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre was found to have posted on the platform shortly before the attack. Gab went offline for approximately nine days. Founder Andrew Torba alleged a coordinated campaign of financial discrimination; the providers cited terms-of-service violations involving content hosted on the platform.

Banking/Platform Restrictions#Gab#Andrew Torba

March 2018

01

Mar 22, 2018New York, NY

Banks and Payment Processors Drop Gun Retailers Following Government Pressure Precedent

In 2018, citing Operation Choke Point precedents and regulatory pressure, major financial institutions including Citibank and Bank of America announced policies restricting services to firearms retailers — moves that gun industry advocates argued were directly enabled and encouraged by years of federal regulatory pressure on banks to avoid gun-related businesses.

Banking/Platform Restrictions#trump-admin-1#obama-admin

May 2014

01

May 29, 2014Washington, DC

Operation Choke Point pressures banks to terminate accounts of licensed firearms dealers and other 'high-risk' businesses

Between 2013 and 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice's 'Operation Choke Point' coordinated with the FDIC to pressure banks and payment processors to cut off financial services to industries the agencies labeled 'high-risk,' including licensed firearms dealers, payday lenders, and ammunition retailers. A 2014 House Oversight investigation and a 2015 FDIC Office of Inspector General audit concluded that lawful businesses had been targeted via informal regulatory pressure rather than formal rulemaking. DOJ formally ended the program in August 2017.

Banking/Platform Restrictions#Operation Choke Point#DOJ

July 2013

01

Jul 18, 2013Austin, TX

Defense Distributed founder Cody Wilson loses banking and payment accounts amid 3D-printed firearm publication dispute

In July 2013, JPMorgan Chase and PayPal terminated accounts associated with Defense Distributed and its subsidiary DefCad shortly after the organization published downloadable files for the 'Liberator' 3D-printed pistol. In November 2014, Stripe also terminated accounts tied to founder Cody Wilson, citing 'prohibited business' categories. Wilson characterized the closures as politically motivated retaliation for constitutionally protected publication and Second Amendment advocacy; the institutions did not provide detailed public explanations.

Banking/Platform Restrictions#Defense Distributed#Cody Wilson

March 2013

01

Mar 1, 2013Washington, DC

DOJ's Operation Choke Point Pressures Banks to Drop Legal Businesses

Beginning in 2013, the Obama Justice Department ran 'Operation Choke Point,' secretly pressuring banks and payment processors to terminate accounts of legal businesses in industries the administration considered politically objectionable — including firearms dealers, payday lenders, and tobacco retailers — effectively using financial access as a lever to punish disfavored speech-adjacent commerce.

Banking/Platform Restrictions#obama-admin#operation-choke-point

December 2010

01

Dec 4, 2010Reykjavík, Iceland

PayPal, Visa, and Mastercard suspend payments to WikiLeaks following Cablegate release

Beginning December 3, 2010, days after WikiLeaks began publishing approximately 250,000 classified U.S. State Department diplomatic cables, PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Bank of America, and Western Union severed donation processing for the organization. PayPal acknowledged its decision followed a State Department letter characterizing WikiLeaks' activity as illegal. WikiLeaks said donations dropped by approximately 95%. WikiLeaks' Icelandic payment processor DataCell filed an antitrust complaint with the European Commission, which concluded in 2014 that the processors had not violated EU competition rules.

Banking/Platform Restrictions#WikiLeaks#Julian Assange