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PayPal Freezes the Assets of Wikileaks.org
matsh sends word that PayPal has frozen the assets of wikileaks.org. From their Web site: "Paypal has as of 23rd of January 2010 frozen WikiLeaks assets. This is the second time that this happens. The last time we struggled for more than half a year to resolve this issue. By working with the respected and recognized German foundation Wau Holland Stiftung we tried to avoid this from happening again — apparently without avail." The submitter adds: "Hopefully we can pressure PayPal to resolve this quickly, since this seems like a dangerous political decision."
Why is PayPal freezing the account? What happened the first time, and what agreement was reached to thaw the account?
--- Asking inconvenient questions for over 30 years...
Paypal's behavious is unacceptable in many ways and it happens to many people.
The most annoying thing is when you couple it to ebay, and anoying buyers file a not-received or not-as-described claim when it's clear they couldn't have received it yet, or you told them it was delayed because you were, say ill. As has happened with me.
The bad thing is that this partly or wholly freezes your business section that depends on that. Unacceptable.
Paypal and Ebay were once pretty good, the former because payments via bank transfer for small amounts internatioanlly were so expensive, but all that is gone now and the fees for large sums are also far too high...
I suggest everyone use bank tranfers in EURO countries. IBAN/BIC payments are free if done with shared-cost.
Paypal has a long history of doing this sort of thing to people.
In addition to that, they have a history of requiring personal information from people (due in large part to US law)
I believe it's time for an alternate, non-US based payment processor to take the place of paypal, the problem is there are so many to choose from. I like pecunix for their security (and the fact they aren't US based.. and use a market-maker approach, which helps to create competition in the exchange rates)
But what about others? how come we're held hostage to paypal when other systems exist?
It seems that there is a image from "alainfishing" on wikileaks main page. Read this interesting article about this:
https://p10.secure.hostingprod.com/@spyblog.org.uk/ssl/wikileak/2010/01/paypal-suspends-donations-to-wikileaksorg-who-then-web-bug-their-own-website.html
Interestingly this is only a problem in US and western countries. Russia and Eastern Bloc almost fully uses WebMoney. There is no problems with locking accounts, transactions fees are really low and you can pay your phone, internet or tv bill with it (along with countless of other services). Cards to put money in to account are sold in every kiosk. Security is better too, if you require they send you one-time auth sms or you can have keyfiles to login.
Paypal is shit.
OK, " stolen" from another post, but this way YOU get the answer to your question:
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/fsb/0802/gallery.paypal_alternatives.fsb/
Maurice W. Hilarius Voice: (778) 347-9907
paypal is a bank in europe
Mendacem Memorem Esse Oportet
This isn't a left or a right thing. Both "sides" seem perfectly comfortable with it.
"We don't need to give any more voice to the powerful interests that already drown out the voices of everyday Americans."
-- Obama on recent SCOTUS Ruling
When information is power, privacy is freedom.
Of course among those, not all are equal, but when you put it all together likely the absolutely most favored would be Canada.
Most Canadian trade in this direction is crude. Shell, Exxon, and UNOCAL (AKA Chevron) account for a significant portion of this, so while the oil may be coming from Canada and the money is counted as going to Canada, much of it comes right back to the USA (or indeed, never actually goes there; though some taxes are ostensibly paid.)
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Its like calling your friend an idiot and then asking him for $1,100.00
I don't see how we can depend on China for so much yet make demands of them too.
In Europe, at least, Ebay is a Swiss AG, headquartered in Bern, Switzerland
Helvetiastrasse 15, CH-3005 Bern, Switzerland, Telephone 00 41 31 359 06 59
and they are, of course, the Beneficial owners of PayPal.
both of which, used to be a Luxembourg SARL, Luxembourg allows bearer shares.
Under the Swiss-EU accords, judgements obtained under EU law, in member countries,
are enforcible in Switzerland and thus in Kanton Bern. You can assume they speak
EN DE FR IT, but if you want to give legal notice do it in one of the Swiss official
languages ie DE FR IT
Thus I suggest you write to the Geshaftsleiter (Ebay|PayPal) at the above address.
Depending on whether or not square allows its service to be used by websites in addition to the physical swipe of the card, then Square could be going right for PayPal's jugular. Of course there are other variables too - sign up process, fees, etc.
. 62,400 repetitions make one truth -- Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
Very few people, especially smaller sites actually require all the features of paypal, pick one of them that has the features you need and go with it, they are pretty much all better than paypal (with the exception of paymate, not sure why they would be listed there as if anything they are worse than paypal).
China's in it for the long haul. They're going to let the US help them rise to the top by using the US to "jump-start" their own economic success. First, they sell things to the US for cheap (and remain profitable by abusing their people's rights). To keep the US spending, they lend them as much money as they need (it's ok, it only means the plan will take longer). Then, they slowly build their own consumer-culture (this is the phase they're in now). Then, once they're in position #2, they cut the US funding off and watch them fall (leaving the top spot open for them). They'll put up with as much nonsense as we can sling at them until they complete this phase. There are some disadvantages to leaders who know they only have to worry about the next 8 years and CEOs who only worry about the next quarter..
With your analogy, it's more getting $100 a week from your friend, then spending $150 at his very-reasonably-priced store every week (the $50 is yours), thus driving his business up, then once he's successful and doesn't need you, he cuts you off to $10/week with interest, and you're totally helpless because you were so reliant on his money.
This post makes it extremely evident that you didn't skim or read the opinion. Or go to any in depth legal blog and read their opinion of the opinion. The limits on direct contributions are still in place.
I guess I wasn't sufficiently clear. Weeks or months will pass without any of these phishing attempts landing in my in box/spam box. Then I make a PayPal purchase. Starting within about an hour and continuing for the next week or two weeks, the e-mails start. This has happened seven or eight times now over a two year period.
Clear enough?
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
Here's a thought for everyone: Corporations were demanding the same rights as individuals, right? How about we demand they have the same *repsonsibilities* as individuals, like being jailed for your crimes. I mean if the corps really want to move in that direction then let's give them enough rope to hang themselves. We've had to live with their laws so perhaps they're asking for this as well.
0x09F911029D74E35BD84156C5635688C0
How about Google freaking Checkout???
There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
Who the fuck do you think hates wikileaks the most? The fucking government. People, quit relying on your goddamn governments to save the world and realize they are run by men, not angels.
It is not the duty and right of random corporations to commits act of vigilante justice. Until Wikileaks is sentenced by a court, they should not be punished. And once they are, the govermnent should punish them.
The world would be quite a chaotic place if everyone could do anything under the guise of enforcing his own law.
I stopped using PayPal when they froze thousands of dollars of my assets and started giving away refunds to customers for which I provided valid tracking numbers proving their orders had been delivered. They put me out of business. They made it so it was a nightmare trying to prove they were screwing me because they controlled the records. They started freezing the accounts of my friends and family or anyone they had any reason knew me. Now after several years they have the nerve to send me a bill saying I owe them $800. The whole thing was a nightmare and I will never use PayPal again.
At what price learning? At what cost wisdom? The price is a man's peace of mind, and the cost is his life.
But Australia's censorship is MISGUIDED and INEFFECTIVE, and is also AFAICT NOT UP AND RUNNING. Lots of hot air, really, to impress Senator Fielding and his followers. Maybe he should start a cult.
I hear that China's censorship is PURPOSEFUL, EFFECTIVE and WELL MANAGED by contrast. Maybe Australia needs to take a look. :-)
Banks are corporations too. But they have legal oversight, so they can't just abscond with your money (very easily). PayPal has a well-known habit of stealing money left in people's accounts, so the simple remedy is not to leave it there. Just use the service for making transactions, which is what it's actually for.
If you run a business, you don't just leave your day's takings sitting on a desk or in your pocket, you put it somewhere safe, where either you or someone you can trust is responsible for its security. Anybody who leaves substantial sums of money in a PayPal account is a fool.
If a bank did go to the extreme of freezing or taking your funds with no legal authority, you at least have the option of making an appointment to see the manager, then taking the opportunity to systematically break his fingers and kneecaps until you're satisfied.
But this filter does not actually exist and probably never will given its widespread unpopularity.
Don't count on it. Governments have enacted universally unpopular legislation with impunity before. Remember the GST? Which was supposed to make things cheaper and fairer for everybody, but which ended up being another windfall for the government...
See this article on the lawsuit that Coca Cola Corp is currently facing in Colombia. they are accused of hiring hit men to kill the union leaders at their local bottling plant there.
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Categories/Lawlawsuits/Lawsuitsregulatoryaction/LawsuitsSelectedcases/Coca-ColalawsuitreColombia?&batch_start=51
"The first time I got drunk, I got married. The second time I bought a chimpanzee, after that I stayed sober" Arian Seid
It's hardly a "random senator". It's the Government's Minister of Communications and he's pushing the fact that they've already done trials and found the filters "100% effective".
I don't think there's that much "widespread unpopularity" either - it's all couched in "if you're against this, then you're on the side of child pornographers", so people aren't really that opposed to it. It's being played very well by the people who want to control the net over here - never mind that once it actually goes in it will be a nightmare to control.
Fear: When you see B8 00 4C CD 21 and know what it means
You probably read that China had "most favored nation" status at some point and were confused.
It has nothing to do with any bullshit labels that they ever wore, and everything to do with the fact that they are some of the worst abusers of human rights on the planet, yet we send them more money for goods than to any other nation. (I covered already the fact that most of what we get from Canada is crude oil, and Exxon, Chevron, and others account for a great deal of that output, meaning that much of the money never actually leaves the country.)
"Most favored nation" status does not mean what you think it means.
You're psychotic, not psychic. I don't think it means (meant, really) what you think I think it means. Why don't you get an account so I can foe you for your stupid assumption? Oh, wait, that must be why. Nobody would end up seeing what you write, with foe and foe of friend modifiers.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"