{"id":1684723,"date":"2022-10-12T07:48:26","date_gmt":"2022-10-12T11:48:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1684723"},"modified":"2022-10-12T07:52:39","modified_gmt":"2022-10-12T11:52:39","slug":"when-corporate-america-pulls-a-paypal-theres-no-escaping-the-digital-gulag-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/when-corporate-america-pulls-a-paypal-theres-no-escaping-the-digital-gulag-2\/","title":{"rendered":"When Corporate America Pulls A PayPal, There\u2019s No Escaping The Digital Gulag"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhen-corporate-america-pulls-a-paypal-theres-no-escaping-the-digital-gulag-2%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1684723&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><\/div>\n<p>Last week, PayPal\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/new-paypal-policy-lets-company-pull-2500-from-users-accounts-if-they-promote-misinformation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">published<\/a> a new user agreement that would allow the company to debit up to $2,500 from a user\u2019s account for engaging in \u201crestricted activities,\u201d including spreading \u201cmisinformation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The announcement drew much criticism, including from one of PayPal\u2019s cofounders, David Marcus, who\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/davidmarcus\/status\/1578795041719750663?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1578795041719750663%7Ctwgr%5E7670beb9afe3c19f68ac164894cf5cbac432ba38%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftruthpress.com%25\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tweeted<\/a>, \u201c@Paypal\u2019s new AUP goes against everything I believe in. A private company now gets to decide to take your money if you say something they disagree with. Insanity.\u201d The soon-to-be owner of Twitter, Elon Musk,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1578815879445217280\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tweeted<\/a>\u00a0a reply, \u201cAgreed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Many angry users\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChuckNospam\/status\/1579223337753944064\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">posted screenshots<\/a>\u00a0of them closing their PayPal accounts in protest of the company\u2019s anti-free speech policy and caused #BankruptPayPal to trend. It seemed that the backlash had been severe enough that on Sunday, PayPal walked back the policy,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/news\/new-paypal-policy-permits-company-to-fine-users-2500-for-misinformation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">claiming<\/a> the new user agreement \u201cwent out in error\u201d and the company wouldn\u2019t punish users for spreading misinformation.<\/p>\n<p>That said, people who cherish free speech should not declare victory. After all, PayPal only\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/reason.com\/volokh\/2022\/10\/09\/paypal-still-threatens-2500-fines-for-promoting-discriminatory-intolerance-even-if-not-misinformation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">partially reversed<\/a>\u00a0its policy. The company will still fine users up to $2,500 for other offenses listed under its user agreement, including activities presumably promoting \u201chate\u201d and \u201cintolerance.\u201d After all, PayPal has a long history of labeling speech disagreeing with the woke ideology as \u201chateful\u201d and \u201cintolerant.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Last month, PayPal, its subsidiary Venmo, and Google joined in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/againstgrmrs\/status\/1572432474965409793\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">banning<\/a>\u00a0the accounts of \u201cGays Against Groomers,\u201d accusing the group of violating their user agreements without providing evidence. Gays Against Groomers is \u201ca coalition of gays against the sexualization, indoctrination, and medicalization of children\u201d and vocally opposes the hosting of drag queen story times at school.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In the same month, PayPal also shut down\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/2022\/09\/20\/paypal-shuts-accounts-free-speech-union\/?utm_content=telegraph&amp;utm_medium=Social&amp;utm_campaign=Echobox&amp;utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1663705724-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">several accounts<\/a>\u00a0in the United Kingdom, including the accounts of Free Speech Union and its founder Toby Young. Young and the organization are known to fight back against cancel culture while advocating on behalf of academics who criticize transgenderism. Additionally, PayPal banned a parents\u2019 group, UsForThemUK, that fought to keep schools open during lockdowns and confiscated its funds. One of the group\u2019s cofounders\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UsforThemUK\/status\/1572681443960303616\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>: \u201cIt is extremely hard not to draw the conclusion that this is a politically motivated cancellation of an organization that in some way offends PayPal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t have to agree with the views of anyone banned by PayPal to be troubled by the company\u2019s anti-free speech approach. And even though all eyes are currently on PayPal, the payment processor isn\u2019t the only woke business seeking to regulate speech in the name of ideological conformity.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Big Tech companies such as Facebook and Twitter have de-platformed many voices they don\u2019t like, including the former president of the United States. For most people, being banned from social media doesn\u2019t have many real-life consequences, so companies have increasingly resorted to imposing financial pain on dissenters.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, Amazon\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/abigailshrier.substack.com\/p\/book-banning-in-an-age-of-amazon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">banned<\/a>\u00a0Ryan Anderson\u2019s book,\u00a0\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/when-harry-became-sally-ryan-anderson\/1125792437?ean=9781641770491\">Whe<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/when-harry-became-sally-ryan-anderson\/1125792437?ean=9781641770491\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">n<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/when-harry-became-sally-ryan-anderson\/1125792437?ean=9781641770491\"> Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment<\/a>,\u201d citing the company\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/justthenews.com\/nation\/technology\/prior-removing-transgender-critical-book-amazon-changed-policies-ban-books-hate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">policy<\/a>\u00a0of barring \u201cinappropriate and offensive\u201d works and \u201chate speech\u201d from its platform. Despite this, Amazon continues to sell books such as Adolf Hitler\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Mein-Kampf-Adolf-Hitler-ebook\/dp\/B0024FA18K\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mein Kampf<\/a>.\u201d Since Amazon controls up to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/advice\/us-book-industry-statistics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">80 percent<\/a>\u00a0of all book distribution in the U.S., the company\u2019s digital book burning cost Anderson a significant financial loss and erased his voice from \u201cthe world\u2019s largest bookstore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As another author, Abigail Shrier,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/abigailshrier.substack.com\/p\/book-banning-in-an-age-of-amazon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pointed out<\/a>, the chilling effect of Amazon\u2019s action is that \u201cmany outstanding books will now go unwritten; they will not be commissioned whenever Amazon\u2019s distribution is the slightest bit in doubt.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This February, GoFundMe <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/02\/07\/gofundmes-10m-shutdown-of-canadian-truckers-shows-its-time-to-rein-in-big-tech\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shut down<\/a> an account supporting the Canadian Freedom Convoy and refused to release the $10 million raised on behalf of the group. The Freedom Convoy was protesting the Canadian government\u2019s covid vaccine mandate in their country\u2019s capital city, Ottawa. GoFundMe justified its action by pointing to \u201creports of violence and other unlawful activity\u201d\u00a0violating the company\u2019s terms of service, although the corporate media, such as The New York Times, couldn\u2019t name a single violent incident instigated by the truckers. Since they were unable to access this money, the truckers were unable to purchase the food and fuel needed to sustain their protest in the frigid winter weather.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While confiscating lawful assets of the peaceful Freedom Convoy, GoFundMe continues to allow fundraising for campaigns such as \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/americaontrial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Black Lives Matter NYC\u00a0to engage in\u00a0\u2018civil disobedience and disruption<\/a>.\u2019\u201d GoFundMe doesn\u2019t seem to mind political disruption, let alone violence, so long as it is conducted along the proper ideological lines.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In the digital world, thinking and acting out of line with the woke orthodoxy will likely result in being relegated to the digital gulag where you cannot earn a living or speak your mind. Companies such as PayPal, Amazon, and GoFundMe are working to ensure that.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s digital gulag shares the same objective as its brick-and-mortar predecessors. Its goal is to silence dissent and enforce ideological conformity. While the digital gulag does not yet cause extreme physical harm, its financial punishments have resulted in real-life hardship for those on the receiving end. The fear of being sent to the digital gulag has caused many people to adhere to a strict policy of self-censorship.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>PayPal\u2019s recent partial reversal of its censorship policy won\u2019t likely deter other woke companies from punishing people for expressing ideas they disagree with. Too many large American companies have become the chief enforcers of woke ideology. Last month, American Express, Mastercard, and Visa announced they would\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/economy\/visa-mastercard-amex-categorize-gun-store-sales-separately\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">track<\/a>\u00a0sales at firearm shops, a move many gun owners and gun rights advocates said would target legal gun sales.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Together, these three companies control\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/upgradedpoints.com\/credit-cards\/us-credit-card-market-share-by-network-issuer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">over 90 percent<\/a>\u00a0of credit card purchase volume in the U.S., so it\u2019s reasonable to assume that before long, these companies could follow Amazon and PayPal\u2019s lead and enforce \u201cgun control\u201d policies by refusing to process payments from gun shops.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Freedom-loving Americans can try to boycott these woke businesses, but their omnipresence means few alternatives are available. Only laws that hold these private businesses legally accountable for violating Americans\u2019 constitutional rights will abolish the digital gulag. But do not expect a Democrat-controlled U.S. Congress to do anything about it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Our only hope to rein woke businesses is to elect a Republican-majority Congress this November. The PayPal controversy is another reminder of how high the stakes are in the midterms.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">\n  Helen Raleigh, CFA, is an American entrepreneur, writer, and speaker. She&#8217;s a senior contributor at The Federalist. Her writings appear in other national media, including The Wall Street Journal and Fox News.  Helen is the author of several books, including &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Confucius-Never-Said-Helen-Raleigh\/dp\/1499185278\/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=Helen+Raleigh+Confucius+Never+Said&amp;qid=1606079469&amp;sr=8-1\">Confucius Never Said<\/a>&#8221; and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Backlash-How-Chinas-Aggression-Backfired\/dp\/1736008501\/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=1606006113&amp;sr=8-1\">Backlash: How Communist China&#8217;s Aggression Has Backfired<\/a>.&#8221; Follow her on Parler and Twitter: @HRaleighspeaks.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last week, PayPal\u00a0published a new user agreement that would allow the company to debit up to $2,500 from a user\u2019s account for engaging in \u201crestricted activities,\u201d including spreading \u201cmisinformation.\u201d\u00a0 The<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":536,"featured_media":1684730,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1684723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1684723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/536"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1684723"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1684723\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1684730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1684723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1684723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1684723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}