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Mailchimp Is Shutting Down ICO and Blockchain-Related Emails

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21–30 of 143 posts

Re: Mailchimp Is Shutting Down ICO and Blockchain-Related Emails

#21
post #3

When Facebook banned blockchain-related ads it was understandable - they are a closed platform and can chose to accept whatever content they decide to. When Google banned blockchain-related ads it was a much more serious issue - millions of websites are supported by Google ads through AdSense and AdX. Google is the main revenue source of the vast majority of publishers on the open internet. It seems incredibly unfair…

> A private company censoring

A private company cannot censor.

Re: Mailchimp Is Shutting Down ICO and Blockchain-Related Emails

#22
post #12
post #3

When Facebook banned blockchain-related ads it was understandable - they are a closed platform and can chose to accept whatever content they decide to. When Google banned blockchain-related ads it was a much more serious issue - millions of websites are supported by Google ads through AdSense and AdX. Google is the main revenue source of the vast majority of publishers on the open internet. It seems incredibly unfair…

Why is Facebook's decision okay but Mailchimp's is evil? If anything Facebook has a social network monopoly while Mailchimp is one of dozens of mailing providers. Authorities are cracking down on all the blockchain scams and now companies don't want to be associated with them. It's easier to ban all blockchain-related businesses than to look for the few select legitimate ones.

Because Facebook is blocking ads that will probably not be missed by many people. They still allow you to post about blockchain. Mailchimp apparently doesn't.

Re: Mailchimp Is Shutting Down ICO and Blockchain-Related Emails

#23
post #5

I'm sure there are many people who think this is ok, because it's not the government doing this, but a "private company". Who needs a totalitarian dictatorship when plain old capitalism works as well if not better?

Who needs a totalitarian dictatorship when plain old capitalism works as well if not better?

That's been well known since at least 1848...

Re: Mailchimp Is Shutting Down ICO and Blockchain-Related Emails

#24
post #3

When Facebook banned blockchain-related ads it was understandable - they are a closed platform and can chose to accept whatever content they decide to. When Google banned blockchain-related ads it was a much more serious issue - millions of websites are supported by Google ads through AdSense and AdX. Google is the main revenue source of the vast majority of publishers on the open internet. It seems incredibly unfair…

It's not really that different from Google. Mailchimp is a marketing/advertising platform that has every right to be selective about who their clients are^1. Their entire business is about managing their reputation with customers and email providers and blockchain scams are hurting that. Trying to pretend that marketing spam is deservant of free speech considerations and tantamount to 'discussion' is silly.

Recently people seem to being bit by the fact that just because you think of a company's product as 'infrastructure' doesn't make it so.

^1 Yada yada they can't discriminate against certain classes of people. That's not even close to relevant to this situation nor am I talking about their legal abilities.

Re: Mailchimp Is Shutting Down ICO and Blockchain-Related Emails

#25
post #3

When Facebook banned blockchain-related ads it was understandable - they are a closed platform and can chose to accept whatever content they decide to. When Google banned blockchain-related ads it was a much more serious issue - millions of websites are supported by Google ads through AdSense and AdX. Google is the main revenue source of the vast majority of publishers on the open internet. It seems incredibly unfair…

Any mail sending company will preemptive ban some clients. If they end up on DBLs or start being blocked by GMail, it is already too late.

Re: Mailchimp Is Shutting Down ICO and Blockchain-Related Emails

#26
post #22
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is Facebook's decision okay but Mailchimp's is evil? If anything Facebook has a social network monopoly while Mailchimp is one of dozens of mailing providers. Authorities are cracking down on all the blockchain scams and now companies don't want to be associated with them. It's easier to ban all blockchain-related businesses than to look for the few select legitimate ones.

Because Facebook is blocking ads that will probably not be missed by many people. They still allow you to post about blockchain. Mailchimp apparently doesn't.

Mailchimp is an advertising platform. How is it any different?

Re: Mailchimp Is Shutting Down ICO and Blockchain-Related Emails

#27
post #19
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With such a high rate of ICO fraud, how can you blame them? They don’t want to be held liable in the numerous lawsuits that are to come. They also shouldn’t be burdened with doing due diligence for every ICO to dertermine if they might be aiding and abetting fraud. It’s probably temporary until there is some regulatory guidance in place.

"They also shouldn’t be burdened with doing due diligence for every ICO to dertermine if they might be aiding and abetting fraud." Legally speaking you are perfectly right - they can do whatever they want. But morally speaking they can't - if they have put themselves in a position where they are so popular and making so much money that it is in the general public's best interest for them to censor certain scam artist…

They don't have a moral obligation to use their infrastructure, brand name, and legal funds on something they think is risky or unethical. This is much the way UPS can decline to transport whatever they want to.

If it bothers anyone, they can use one of the many competitors or send the emails themselves.

Re: Mailchimp Is Shutting Down ICO and Blockchain-Related Emails

#28
post #17
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Having said that, can't Mailchimp do whatever they want? Sure, in the same sense we can be appalled by anything we want and boycott things for any or no reason. There is no legal question here, but the moral question is far less clear cut.

And we keep having these discussions where we all agree "It's not censorship when it's a private company" but that's starting to feel like a truism we need to push back on, because if every private company that handles mass emailing decides to stop accepting a certain type of content (let's all agree we aren't talking about child pornography as the content), that is censorship. If this story were, "T-Mobile stops all…

T-Mobile isn't a good analogy because it functions as a utility and has very few competitors. MailChimp has many competitors, including "spin up your own mail server" and "use a different marketing channel".

Re: Mailchimp Is Shutting Down ICO and Blockchain-Related Emails

#30

Well, guess I am shutting down my mailchimp account for this reason. I planned on using it for my marketing purposes but I guess I will go with leadpages or DIY. Anyone have any ideas for alternatives?

Mailerlite is good: mailerlite.com
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