Why should paypal be able to ban certain purchases like ebooks?

readerromance20
Contributor
Contributor

I have been a loyal paypal customer for years and have purchased many eBooks through various eBook sites. Because of  recent regulations or standards paypal and banks are know saying they will not utilize their systems to pay for the purchase of what they don't agree is appropriate or within standards they set.As a result many eBook websites are taking away many eBooks and authors that are widely read by the people of those sites to continue being able to offer their customers the use of paypal . We as the consumer use our money to keep them in business and use their service to make secure purchases but are unable to read, listen or buy what we want. Is that right? I find it very wrong and people over the age of 21 should be allowed to read, listen and see what they want that is legal. To say that a book is not right because it is in politically correct or a controversial issue is completely wrong and should not be allowed.

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5 REPLIES 5

Neutrino
New Community Member

Censorship of the digital distribution of books is little different from burning books - and the result is the same. 

 

I fail to understand why a payment method should dictate what people can purchase through that method.  PayPal's demand that digital publishers stop carrying books that somebody on PayPal's board of directors does not like (or whomever they have delegated censorship to) is simply evil.  And petty and immature and despicable.  Many classic novels and authors cannot now be purchased from some retailers because of PayPal's power and whim.

 

I will be closing my account shortly.

 

Check out this URL for more information.

 

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/violetblue/paypal-strong-arms-indie-ebook-publishers-over-erotic-content/1...

 

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damianp
New Community Member

I concur, this is a ridculous and scary policy. I find it truly disturbing and until I see the policy recinded I will no longer use paypal and will recommend the same via all social media, which is how I found out about this.

 

http://www.smashwords.com/press/release/27

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-shaffer/paypal-online-bookstores-erotica_b_1301306.html

http://www.the-digital-reader.com/2012/02/25/smashwords-succumbs-to-censorship/

 

 

 

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frostout
Contributor
Contributor

Censorship of this sort is destructive. I will use Google Checkout exclusively until PayPal reverses this new policy, and encourage friends, family and the businesses I make payments to online to do so as well.

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birrellwalsh
New Community Member

And is it true Paypal will not pay for the Bible because of  Genesis 19:30 - 38?

 

I do hope Paypal gets out of the censorship business and back to the excellent job it does as an online banker...

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Aunty_Bookburn
New Community Member

I do not need Paypal to function as a moral compass.

If I do not see an immediate change of policy on this subject, then I will be using Paypal's competitor's services instead. And I will recommend that everyone else do the same, in emails, social sites, forums, etc.

Very simple.

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