"You 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, (a) are harmful ... or objectionable … (e) depict, promote, or incite hatred or discrimination of protected groups or of individuals or groups based on protected characteristics (e.g. ... religion, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, etc.) … (g) .... promote misinformation … or (i) are otherwise unfit for publication.”
The update also stated,
"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..."[99] [100]
Obviously, since even posting what the Bible states regarding false gospels as well as illicit sexual unions and effects thereof can be subjectively judged in "PayPal’s sole discretion" as "harmful" or "objectionable" then this policy effectively can work to silence those whom PayPal autocratically judges to be politically objectionable.
And while PayPal later said that it will not fine $2500 users who engage in “misinformation” or “hatred” against protected identities," and that this language was never intended to be inserted in our policy, what PayPal removed is not fining people for misinformation, and it changed "activities that.... are harmful ... or objectionable … (e) depict, promote, or incite hatred or discrimination of protected groups or of individuals or groups based on protected characteristics, " into forbidding "the promotion of hate, violence, racial or other forms of intolerance that is discriminatory." Its Acceptable Use Policy now states,
Prohibited Activities You may not use the PayPal service for activities that:...relate to transactions involving... (f) the promotion of hate, violence, racial or other forms of intolerance that is discriminatory.
Yet in PayPal subjective "sole discretion, "the promotion of hate, violence, racial or other forms of intolerance that is discriminatory" can easily translate into what was previously ambiguously described as activities that:....." “Involve the sending, posting, or publication of any messages, content, or materials that, in PayPal’s sole discretion, (a) are harmful ... or objectionable … (e) depict, promote, or incite hatred or discrimination of protected groups or of individuals or groups based on protected characteristics (e.g. ... religion, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, etc.) …
And as the PayPal User Agreement also states,
you must adhere to the terms of this Acceptable Use Policy. 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).
And Restricted Activities and Holds” section of the PayPal User Agreement y states.
If you’ve violated our Acceptable Use Policy, then you’re also responsible for damages to PayPal caused by your violation of this policy..You acknowledge and agree that $2,500.00 U.S. dollars per violation of the Acceptable Use Policy is presently a reasonable minimum estimate of PayPal’s actual damages - including, but not limited to, internal administrative costs incurred by PayPal to monitor and track violations, damage to PayPal’s brand and reputation, and penalties imposed upon PayPal by its business partners resulting from a user’s violation - considering all currently existing circumstances, including the relationship of the sum to the range of harm to PayPal that reasonably could be anticipated because, due to the nature of the violations of the Acceptable Use Policy, actual damages would be impractical or extremely difficult to calculate. PayPal may deduct such damages directly from any existing balance in any PayPal account you control.
Moreover, the "Restricted Activities" in the above section includes providing,
"false, inaccurate or misleading information" as one of the violations which can result in disciplinary PayPal actions, "If we believe in our sole discretion that you have breached this agreement or violated the Acceptable Use Policy."
Thus it remains that it is quite possible for PayPal to engage in the degree of punitive censorship that resulted in an outcry and PayPal modifying its Acceptable Use Policy.
Thanks for the elucidation.