PISS ON PAYPAL FOR ATTEMPTING TO CURB FREE SPEECH
We can understand why payment processor PayPal would reject vendors selling illegal merchandise, using fraudulent advertising, or promoting direct action violence, but to threaten to fine PayPal users over the ill-defined term “misinformation is outrageous.” To do so without easily challengeable recourse is abominable.
Long-time readers know that I hate unilateral, “take it or leave it” terms of service agreements that empower the company to use your content and otherwise abuse you while disadvantaging the user from seeking legal recourse against the company for culpable negligence, including fraud.
The updated PayPal Acceptable Use Policy scheduled to become effective November 3, 2022, included an expansion of “prohibited activities,” which includes the restrictions on “ending, posting, or publication of messages, content, or materials that meet certain criteria.”
With a financial penalty…
| Violation of this Acceptable Use Policy constitutes a violation of the PayPal User Agreement and may subject you to damages, including liquidated damages of $2,500.00 U.S. dollars per violation, which may be debited directly from your PayPal account(s) as outlined in the User Agreement (see “Restricted Activities and Holds” section of the PayPal User Agreement). |
After significant pushback from vendors who use PayPal, the company claimed they didn’t mean it; it was all a mistake.
|
A spokesman for the company stated: “An AUP notice recently went out in error that included incorrect information. PayPal is not fining people for misinformation and this language was never intended to be inserted in our policy… We’re sorry for the confusion this has caused.” |
I call bullshit!
OCS: No, it wasn’t an error – it was a demonstration of virtue signaling progressive communist democrat ideology that demands the suppression of any speech not approved by the regime – including, but not limited, to challenges to news events, science, medicine, or conservative ideology. Considering the idea originator had to pass legal, create the content, pass an editor, proofreader, and a supervisor who could execute the announcement – this was no error, and everybody involved seemed to agree with the message or kept silent.
Bottom line…
How can a commercial company claim to be a legitimate arbiter of true and correct information when equally educated, credentialed, and experienced individuals can honestly differ on assumptions, findings, and outcomes in science, medicine, and even politics? We have all seen ludicrous fact checks that affirm the information while flagging it for “lacking context.”
If you are a vendor relying on a single social media platform, payment processor, or other single point of failure, it is time to diversify using other providers. Prevent any cash balances from building up in accounts or using a single account for multiple streams of income.
It appears we are facing a constitutional crisis where government entities and political parties are turning to commercial vendors to implement ideologically-driven public policies in circumvention on protections of your constitutional rights. Even worse, we are seeing the Department of Justice, the FBI, and other agencies give a pass to evildoers.
We are so screwed.
-- Steve
“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!
“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw
“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”
“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius “A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell “Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar “Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS