PSA: Paypal blackmailing Bookstrand

[marguerite_26]

Earlier this week, PayPal told Bookstrand, a major distributor of erotic romance and other erotic content on the Internet, that if certain titles containing "objectionable" material were not pulled from Bookstrand's shelves, Bookstrand's PayPal account would be shut down and the funds within confiscated.

The objectionable material? rape, bestiality (include shape-shifters, werewolves, etc.) and incest (including pseudo incest: step-child/step-parent). Even if your never read erotica containing 'objectionable material,' it is still censorship. It is still a financial institution placing a judgement on reading material and determining it to be unsuitable to your to read. It also begs the question: what will they object to next?


You can read more info about it:

PayPal Takes Controversial Stance Against Sex

Where the hell did financial institutions get the idea they could introduce their own brand of censorship?! They don't make laws, they make money and last time I checked, writing about rape, bestiality or incest is not illegal


The petition to put an end to this:
Stop Internet Censorship!

Comments

[tomatoe18.livejournal.com]

WTF PayPal. They just get worse and worse every day. I have no words. Too pissed off by this latest PayPal controversy to contribute a useful opinion on it. I just know that they need to stop their nonsense and get their shit together.

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

ugh. so frustrating! and in so many situations there is no alternative to paypal. So frustrating.

[rufflefeather.livejournal.com]

So obviously they will do the same with books containing murder and violence. Because if reading/writing about sex is wrong, violence and torture and whatnot is surely worse. Maybe we should just go back to restricting available literature to the bible, we wouldn't want to spoil our minds with anything but a hard day's labor. Oh and perhaps women should stay at home by the hearth again and do their embroidery while we're at it. Wtf.

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

yes, obviously. Luckily, while I am sitting at the hearth, pricking my finger with the embroidery needle I will be allowed the sexual fantasies of my own mind AS LONG AS I NEVER WRITE ANYTHING DOWN.

[rufflefeather.livejournal.com]

Or talk about it.

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

naturally. ;)

[vaysh11.livejournal.com]

Petition signed. With personal comment to PayPal. I need paypal. I cannot do international business without it. But I hate that they are trying to gain right-wing customers but jumping on the Censor Literature bandwagon.

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

:DDD I saw yours. Mine is just a few below. It's been great watching the number of climb.


But I hate that they are trying to gain right-wing customers but jumping on the Censor Literature bandwagon.
THIS. It's not their 'personal' opinion - it's that they are trying to 'buy' big money loyalty.

[chantefable.livejournal.com]

Indeed!

[moonie]

What. the. hell.

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

yup. exactly.

[nursedarry.livejournal.com]

Signed with a nice comment about the age of PayPal vs the number of years erotica has been around. And how someone else is just going to make the money they'll be losing.

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

:D awesome.

[tama_abi]

It's time someone else takes a part of the market. I know Paypal has been causing problem for a lot of Sex-related and Fannish content and since they're everywhere they think they can make the law.

[ineffably-roma.livejournal.com]

Yes this is true. Most archives you can't use PayPal to donate to them. :(

[frogspace.livejournal.com]

PayPal tried to pressure Dreamwidth into banning specific kind of erotic content too. DW refused and said if it's legal to be published, they will allow it to be published. They had to switch to a different service, which was a bit complicated, but they didn't give in to PayPal.

[padfootthegrim.livejournal.com]

Go Dreamwidth!

[justhuman.livejournal.com]

*nods* It didn't surprise me because I know what happened to DW -- they also had the same issue with the Google payment system. Dreamwidth doesn't publish the name of their current payment processor because they don't want that processor to become a target.

Signed the petition :-)

[chantefable.livejournal.com]

WTF.

[neoscat.livejournal.com]

Signed & reposted. I hope you don't mind. My english is not as good as yours, so this option was the easiest. But really, wtf? o.Ô

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

No problem, i'm glad word is spreading.

[katelinmr.livejournal.com]

What the double fuck.

[archaeologist-d.livejournal.com]

Someone needs to start a company with the same use but not the same attitude. Wow, figures. Although supposedly the owner is libertarian although how that is libertarian is beyond me.

[clawdine]

Saw this on an m/m author's LJ but didn't realize there was a petition! Thanks for the signal boost.

Paypal has been increasingly ridiculous lately. How is written porn even objectionable. JFC.