On a related note, why does it cost $600k / year to run this service?
That's if they pay staff salaries. 400K is really only 3.5 FTE's if you assume a baseline of 50K/yr (and that's being very optimistic about some costs).
Paypal Freezes Wikileaks's Accounts (Scroll down to donate)
21–30 of 32 posts
Re: Paypal Freezes Wikileaks's Accounts (Scroll down to donate)
#22Duh? This happens every single goddamn time anyone takes a bunch of donations via intermediaries like Paypal and Google Checkout, especially internationally, and extra-especially when you don't use their special no-markup program for registered nonprofits. It looks exactly like you've cashing out stolen consumer accounts. They have every incentive to freeze the account indefinitely, and they never let anyone get away…
So what, we're just supposed to accept that if we use Paypal or Google Checkout we can't have sales, promotions, or donation drives? That we must sell a consistent number of units per day?
Any business relationship can be voided with a proportional amount of effort as it took to enter it.
If you don't want to be cut off so easily, you'll need to use a payment medium that's more difficult to acquire access to and involves fewer middlemen. There are only a handful of levels:
eCash Account (PayPal, Google Checkout, Amazon Payments)
Payment Gateway + Merchant Account (Authorize.net + Bank)
Be a big fish that can negotiate + interface directly with Visa, etc.
Be Visa / Mastercard (since their IPOs), PayPal, AmEx, etc.
Be a bankRe: Paypal Freezes Wikileaks's Accounts (Scroll down to donate)
#23Call me a conspiracy theorist if you like, but one of the most efficient ways to "behead the beast" (so to speak) when an organization is doing uncool things, is to cut off their ability to make money.
Wikileaks is set up to expose stuff that makes other organizations uncomfortable. Make Wikileaks disappear and those organizations feel comfortable again.
It's not hard to file a bunch of complaints with PayPal and have someone's account suspended.
Re: Paypal Freezes Wikileaks's Accounts (Scroll down to donate)
#24On a related note, why does it cost $600k / year to run this service?
That's if they pay staff salaries. 400K is really only 3.5 FTE's if you assume a baseline of 50K/yr (and that's being very optimistic about some costs).
400K is really only 3.5 FTE's if you assume a baseline of 50K/yr
Can you elaborate the math you're using here?
Re: Paypal Freezes Wikileaks's Accounts (Scroll down to donate)
#25Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's if they pay staff salaries. 400K is really only 3.5 FTE's if you assume a baseline of 50K/yr (and that's being very optimistic about some costs).
400K is really only 3.5 FTE's if you assume a baseline of 50K/yr Can you elaborate the math you're using here?
Salary * pension * social security * payroll taxes
+ office space + heating + lighting
Normally for 'profesional' staff costs are 150-250% the salary
Re: Paypal Freezes Wikileaks's Accounts (Scroll down to donate)
#26Duh? This happens every single goddamn time anyone takes a bunch of donations via intermediaries like Paypal and Google Checkout, especially internationally, and extra-especially when you don't use their special no-markup program for registered nonprofits. It looks exactly like you've cashing out stolen consumer accounts. They have every incentive to freeze the account indefinitely, and they never let anyone get away…
So couldn't somebody at Paypal have a quick look at the reports from the auto-cancel?
Especially for a large long standing customer like Wikileaks?
They did this years ago after the Asian tsunami - they suspended the Red Cross's account because of a suspicous number of new donations!
Re: Paypal Freezes Wikileaks's Accounts (Scroll down to donate)
#27Earlier quoted context omitted.
400K is really only 3.5 FTE's if you assume a baseline of 50K/yr Can you elaborate the math you're using here?
Salary * pension * social security * payroll taxes + office space + heating + lighting Normally for 'profesional' staff costs are 150-250% the salary
Source?
Re: Paypal Freezes Wikileaks's Accounts (Scroll down to donate)
#28Re: Paypal Freezes Wikileaks's Accounts (Scroll down to donate)
#29That's why there are websites like http://www.screw-paypal.com
They have been exposing PayPal for the theieves that they really are for over two years now. I say SCREW PAYPAL. Regulate them as the bank that they really are and be done with them. More oversight!
Re: Paypal Freezes Wikileaks's Accounts (Scroll down to donate)
#30PayPal really needs to establish some sort of transparent, independent , review board for these things.
Or Wikileaks really needs to find a new electronic payment service.
What's the point of finding a new system if no one else uses it?
Believe me, I've "been there, done that." We've tried numerous PayPal alternatives at our non-profit, including MoneyBookers, Google Checkout, etc. The one that brings in the donations is PayPal simply because it makes it the easiest to part with your money. It doesn't feel like your giving real money away, just points!