"After cutting off file-hosting sites and Usenet providers, PayPal is now taking aim at VPN and SmartDNS services. The payment processor states that services which can be used to bypass measures to prevent copyright infringement, such as geo-blockades, are violating its terms of service."
PayPal informs the affected business(es) that their accounts have been permanently limited and that this decision can’t be appealed. This means that they have to switch to other payment processing providers.
The latest I've heard was within the last 5 days. They may have already been doing some of it behind the scenes but there's been some activity lately on the same front.
This is frustrating. Seems Paypal has reached a point where they care more about what Netflix says about user privacy than what the user says. Doesn't bode well. Paypal has been pretty awesome for a long time but this will be a mess.
VPNs are going to start being like Usenet where it'll be taboo and nobody will want to talk about it. People that are concerned about their privacy are beginning to be targeted on multiple fronts.
Under those rules, I'm not even allowed to buy a DVD or CD from another region if I can't acquire it here, because I'd be bypassing a geo-block. That also means that sellers of copyrighted material should only be allowed to advertise locally if they wish to use PayPal.
This whole policy is so beyond retarded that the proper words to describe it haven't been invented yet.
I just found this article and found it incredibly disturbing. PayPal is said to be revoking the services to VPN providers because they violate the terms of their user agreement which states that a business cannot sell any product or service for the purpose of circumventing copy right ... It's just ... facepalm
But that's the thing. People use vpn's for very ligitamit reasons. For example connecting business offices, I'm sure that @Logan and @wendell use vpn's for ligit things that don't involve Netflix. The fact that PayPal is joining this bandwagon makes me think they are against a free, open, and private internet.
I know, but like torrents before it people found ways to circumvent laws using legit services. And like torrents before it companies, ISPs, etc. didn't go the reasonable route, they went nuclear. When this becomes less of a hot button topic cooler heads will probably prevail, but until then get used to over reactions.
Businesses use VPN-services for or everything all the time. Many run their own in addition. It's like saying the internet is a "copyright circumvention device".
Nothing new really. RIIA, MPAA etc are dictating our lives. Just get used to it.
The supplier of a service is not violating the tos. The people are ? It is okay. It will hurt them both. Maybe they will stop once they start losing money ?
