SAN JOSE, CA – PayPal was forced to backpedal quickly and substantially after intense backlash to new changes to their Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) were discovered, which stated that the online payment website would dole out automatic fines to the tune of $2,500 if users of their service were guilty of spreading “misinformation.”
PayPal is now stating that the update to their AUP was an error, and that no fines will be imposed upon users; this was amid rampant outrage from their customers, with hashtags such as #boycottpaypal and #byebyepaypal trending on Twitter and “delete PayPal” and “cancel PayPal account” searches spiking by 1,392 percent on Google.
According to the document – which has since been removed completely – the updated AUP would have gone into effect on November 3, 2022, and laid out a full list of actions that were against PayPal’s rules, including the spreading of “misinformation” or “discrimination” against groups or individuals based on gender identity.
PayPal has since apologized for the gaffe, with a spokesperson saying that, “PayPal is not fining people for misinformation and the language was never intended to be inserted into our policy.”
Not everyone was quite so forgiving of the company, with former PayPal president David Marcus slamming his former company on Twitter, including posting the now-inactive link to the offending AUP; Tesla CEO Elon Musk also chimed in, agreeing with Marcus’ incendiary post.
“It’s hard for me to openly criticize a company I used to love and gave so much to. But @PayPal’s new AUP goes against everything I believe in,” Marcus said. “A private company now gets to decide to take your money if you say something they disagree with. Insanity.”
“Agreed,” replied Musk.
Other commentators also sounded off, with many believing that PayPal’s post was, despite the company’s claims, not an error, but an actual calculated act; among those were right-wing political commentator, author, and filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza.
“Stop using PayPal and look for alternatives,” he said. “They were ready to steal $2500 of your money on the pretext that you have the wrong opinions. Sick bastards! They only backed down because they got busted. Let’s bust them some more so the lesson really sinks in!”
Former Hercules actor Kevin Sorbo also gave his two cents, saying, “PayPal isn’t sorry, they’re just mad they got caught.”
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