Posted on 10/10/2022 6:48:34 AM PDT by Yo-Yo
Yahoo! Finance (Adam Sabes) reported yesterday (as did many other sites):
A new PayPal user agreement that threatens to fine users up to $2,500 if they use the service to "promote misinformation," was sent out "in error," a PayPal spokesperson tells FOX Business.The updated PayPal Acceptable Use Policy effective Nov. 3 included an expansion of "prohibited activities," which includes the "ending, posting, or publication of messages, content, or materials that meet certain criteria."
According to the updated PayPal user agreement, the company states that each violation could result in "liquidated damages of $2,500.00" per violation, which would be withdrawn directly from their account.
One of the violations listed, according to the agreement, is that … "[users] may not use the PayPal service for activities that … involve the sending, posting, or publication of any messages, content, or materials that, in PayPal's sole discretion … promote misinformation."
But it appears that the policy continues to be in effect for other speech, according to PayPal's official Acceptable Use Policy, last updated Sept. 20, 2021:
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).Prohibited activities
You may not use the PayPal service for activities that … relate to … the promotion of hate, violence, racial or other forms of intolerance that is discriminatory or the financial exploitation of a crime ….
And the cited "Restricted Activities and Holds" policy makes clear that "Actions We May Take if You Engage in Any Restricted Activities" are determined based on PayPal making the decision "in our sole discretion," if Paypal "believe[s] that you've engaged in any of these activities."
So if PayPal "in [its] sole discretion" concludes that you're using PayPal "for activities that … relate to transactions involving … promotion of" "discriminatory" "intolerance"—presumably including distributing publications, or for that matter buying publications (since that's an activity related to transactions involving the promotion of certain views)—it can just take $2500 straight from your account.
Might you, for instance, be sharply criticizing a religion? Or saying things that sharply condemn, say, government officials (police, FBI, etc.) in ways that some might say involve "promotion of hate"? Or praising people who have acted violently (e.g., in what you think is justifiable self-defense, or defense of others, or even war or revolution)? If PayPal thinks it's bad, it'll just take your money.
Sounds like a good reason to think twice about using PayPal. I've just withdrawn the $1000+ I have in my PayPal account, and I'm starting the process of disentangling myself from the service to the extent possible.
This policy has been in place since at least September 2021. As if you didn’t need yet another reason to drop PayPal like a bad habit...
Sounds like an excuse to charge a premium if someone wants to pay you with PayPal.
Just make it part of the terms they agree to if they do business with you.
so PayPal spies on it’s users ?
Is paypal still an accepted means of supporting FR?
It seemed so 2 weeks ago.
Paypal has no authority to fine. It is a payment processor, not the court.
This action of theirs, I believe, is to close down businesses and organizations that they don’t approve of, such as MAGA hat stores, The Daily Wire, Free Republic.
We need a PayPal alternative that is accepted nearly everywhere that paypal,is accepted. Wish Elon or someone could start such business. Paypal has sucked for a long time now- nothing but another flaming liberal power drunk site.
I left Paypal ages ago now.
“As if you didn’t need yet another reason to drop PayPal like a bad habit”
I think the purpose of the policy is to incentivise controversial posters to leave.
Go Woke, go broke.
Venmo is so ubiquitous in my circle I asked in the last week or so what ever happened to PayPal?
Venmo is owned by PayPal.
Posters?
Paypal has posters?
Do these people understand what kind of dystopia they’re building?
I’d say yes, but they are under the misapprehension that they will always be on top, and not subject to the hell they helped create.
Any word if FR made the list? I pay monthly via PayPal.
Pay-pal is an online payment option.
They solicit informants with a link on their website for reporting violations of their terms-of-service.
I would expect they have an active department targeting websites or individuals who express undesirable ideas. I would not be at all surprised to discover that they have been specifically encouraged to do this by people in the Federal government.
This is weird. What does it even mean? They aren’t Facebook, or YT with people making comments to censor.
It is a purchasing service which should be more anonymous than a credit card.
Guess that is that. No more PayPal purchases. Too bad, because it was an easy route to use for donations to charities.
Per an interview he gave a couple of months ago that was available to the public, he plans on incorporating just that once he gets twitter.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.