Franklin Simmons
Venmo, the PayPal owned payments app, will delay your payment if you use the popular internet term, “Idek,” when sending your payment.
Typically that term translates to “I don’t even know” but it also has a more nefarious meaning.
The term also refers to an abbreviation for “Islami Dawat-e-Kafela,” a pseudonym that The Verge, points out is used by the radical Islamic organization Harakat Ul-Jihad-i-Islami.
Because Venmo doesn’t want to fund a terrorist organization, it has chosen to flag that term until each payment can be manually approved.
Here’s the message users are receiving if they use that term.
In a statement to The Verge the company said, “We need to ensure that we are also moving money to and from people in a way that complies with regulations that are designed to protect our national safety, economy, and security.”
