Calls for a boycott of Etsy are rising after merchandise related to "Alligator Alcatraz" became available on its platform. This term references a new migrant detention center in Florida's Everglades, drawing criticism from various advocacy groups. The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida denounced the facility as part of a larger strategy to displace vulnerable communities. Etsy's broad policy against hateful content has raised questions about the availability of this merchandise, particularly as much of it appears to be AI-generated, contrasting with Etsy's emphasis on human-made products.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida called the facility "part of a broader strategy to expand the abusive mass detention machine, and in turn, criminalize and disappear members of our communities."
Etsy's terms of service around discrimination and hateful content are broad, with the term indirectly allowing for enforcement against veiled, coded, and subtle violations.
Considering the derisive and violent nature of how President Trump and his supporters have spoken about the facility, "Alligator Alcatraz" seems to fall under the policy's generous umbrella.
Much of Etsy's "Alligator Alcatraz" merch has the look of AI-generated slop, which is at odds with the company's recent push to highlight human-made products.
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