Please spread the word about Paypal censoring ebook retailers!

[rikibeth]

First, a brief note from our sponsors me, because it's my journal:

I'm posting this because I write. Right now, I don't write for pay, although that may change someday. And I don't currently write anything that falls under the prohibited categories. But that doesn't matter. If PayPal can do this, other private companies can pull this bullshit too

Comments

[c1]

tl;dr please?

[rikibeth]

PayPal is refusing to process payments for SmashWords unless they stop publishing certain sorts of erotica based on content. SmashWords, and the authors they publish, don't have the luxury of boycotting PayPal and finding another processor, because PayPal's pretty much got a lock on the business. Please write to PayPal and encourage them to change this policy.

[c1]

Awesome. Thanks!

[eglantine_br]

Good points, I'm with you. How can I help?

[rikibeth]

Paypal email addresses and phone numbers, should you wish to talk about this with someone there. This is old info -- if anyone has anything better, I will post that instead -- but it's better than the on-site contact stuff, which is routed through overseas response centers. Please speak out, BE POLITE, be articulate, be reasonable, and be firm.

That. Write to PayPal and encourage them to change this policy. And write about this issue and encourage others to post.

I don't want to return to the days of Article XXIX, and I'm sure neither do you.

[sugar_for_sugar]

Honestly, I'd be offended even if someone out there DID want to sell underage dog-rape porn and PayPal was telling them no. If someone wants to write it and someone else wants to pay for it I'm not judging them on it, end of story, whether I'm personally disgusted by it is my business, not theirs

[rikibeth]

I know. And suppose they made the standard "does not depict illegal acts" and I wanted to end a story with a same-sex wedding. Still not legal, lots of places! *headdesk* I'll be writing to PayPal this weekend.

[sugar_for_sugar]

They'd have to hire their own special court, since stories depict complex situations, so they'd have to take each new book to "trial" to decide whether or not the acts in it were illegal. Now THERE'S a waste of time.

The whole thing just makes sense on zero levels. This is not only senseless, baseless censorship, it's senseless, baseless censorship that is actually meaning PayPal LOSES business. How is that good for anyone involved? I just don't... I can't even wrap my brain around this.

Thanks for bringing it to my attention by the by, I'd not heard of this at all. I'm not sure what I will do because I am in one of my moods where I'm not feeling there's a lot I can actually do... but if I can grow a pair of ovaries maybe I will write them a letter myself FWIW. I need my PayPal, that's got like my Etsy covered and all. grah.

[serge_lj]

Next, Alibris? After all, that's where I bought two books of erotica by Mary Anne Mohanraj. I hope some smart outfit will see a business opportunity because PayPal won't care what we have to say to them. Then *we* can tell PP to go bleep itself.

[rikibeth]

That'd be wonderful. Until then, I'm hoping that there might be enough of an outcry to get them to back down on this policy, the way they had to back off on the Regretsy fiasco at Christmas.

[poptartodoom]

So, I definitely shared this with the Regretsy community, because, well, Paypal and Regretsy has a history. If anything can make Paypal change their mind, it's that group of fat, jealous losers...

[bunnygoth]

I've been reading about this on indie publishing and authors circles with dismay but not surprise. I fear there's unlikely to be a large-scale response, especially by anyone published at major presses, but it's worth everyone writing to PayPal and spreading the word