Part of the problem is that PayPal was sold to EBay a while ago. EBay is a billion dollar business that simply is not going to take chances based on legal theorizing: they're going to do--damn sharp--what their lawyers tell them to do.
While Daily Pundit and Talk Left may be "innocuous" blogs, there are sites out there that use beheadings to raise funds. Not just greedy people, but jihadist websites.
Rather than dedicate expensive staff to reading through each blog and having to make a subjective opinion on the merit of individual blogs and blog entries, it is far easier to institute a blanket ban on those things that could get them in trouble.
I'm sure that even if the blogosphere volunteered to police the quality of the blogs (have you stopped laughing yet?), the EBay lawyers wouldn't permit it; it still keeps them on the point of the hood.
I strongly suspect that EBay will survive the snit of bloggers. They make their money off of auctions and, with the acquisition of PayPal, the financial transactions involved.
I am also very confident that the FBI, DHS, and many elements of Treasury are living in EBay's counting rooms. The possibility of money-laundering through such a set-up is incredible. But the Feds have yet to complain, so they must be doing something right.
I cancelled both PayPal and eBay accounts. I have no regrets. I did so after reading of the censorship of the Daily Pundit.
Both eBay and PayPal were "visionary" when they were startups. As they became the monoliths they are today they have caused vast numbers of consumer problems, only one of which has been their ever changing and hypocritical attempt to set "community standards."
I'm glad I finally was motivated to get rid of both. I signed up for eBay circa 1996 and the new startup, PayPal, shortly thereafter. Both have been, at minimum, a nuisance ever since in one way or another. I had 300+ positive "feedbacks" on eBay and no negatives, no history of any issues involving payment via my local bank or credit cards with PayPal. Yet both managed to be a pain in the neck at various times.
While the headaches will frozen accounts are awful, I was more disturbed by realizing that Paypal restricted otherwise legal purchases.
For example, my bank doesn't say "we'll only let you spend your money on things we approve of". (This is NOT to say I'm out there spending tons of money on porn and guns :)
Part of the problem is that PayPal was sold to EBay a while ago. EBay is a billion dollar business that simply is not going to take chances based on legal theorizing: they're going to do--damn sharp--what their lawyers tell them to do.
While Daily Pundit and Talk Left may be "innocuous" blogs, there are sites out there that use beheadings to raise funds. Not just greedy people, but jihadist websites.
Rather than dedicate expensive staff to reading through each blog and having to make a subjective opinion on the merit of individual blogs and blog entries, it is far easier to institute a blanket ban on those things that could get them in trouble.
I'm sure that even if the blogosphere volunteered to police the quality of the blogs (have you stopped laughing yet?), the EBay lawyers wouldn't permit it; it still keeps them on the point of the hood.
I strongly suspect that EBay will survive the snit of bloggers. They make their money off of auctions and, with the acquisition of PayPal, the financial transactions involved.
I am also very confident that the FBI, DHS, and many elements of Treasury are living in EBay's counting rooms. The possibility of money-laundering through such a set-up is incredible. But the Feds have yet to complain, so they must be doing something right.
Both eBay and PayPal were "visionary" when they were startups. As they became the monoliths they are today they have caused vast numbers of consumer problems, only one of which has been their ever changing and hypocritical attempt to set "community standards."
I'm glad I finally was motivated to get rid of both. I signed up for eBay circa 1996 and the new startup, PayPal, shortly thereafter. Both have been, at minimum, a nuisance ever since in one way or another. I had 300+ positive "feedbacks" on eBay and no negatives, no history of any issues involving payment via my local bank or credit cards with PayPal. Yet both managed to be a pain in the neck at various times.
Good riddance.
For example, my bank doesn't say "we'll only let you spend your money on things we approve of". (This is NOT to say I'm out there spending tons of money on porn and guns :)