Live data from Hacker News

PayPal terminates account of Epik, home to Proud Boys domain and Gab

mashable.com

21–30 of 243 posts

Re: PayPal terminates account of Epik, home to Proud Boys domain and Gab

#21
post #15

In the coming years, we may see the rise of separate economies based on political divide. I think this is where we are heading, and this will counterpart the world splitting the internet into nationally divided fragments.

>and this will counterpart the world splitting the internet into nationally divided fragments. Perhaps, but how is this related to this story? Both epik and paypal are located in the US. If anything this points towards the internet being divided across partisan lines.

I think he is just comparing it to another way in which the internet is balkanizing.

Re: PayPal terminates account of Epik, home to Proud Boys domain and Gab

#22
In politics people are to be either pampered or destroyed. And you never want to endure present pain to avoid future conflict. You will fight anyways and only be weaker. Best to walk away from it all.

We should embrace it when people talk. Because people who talk are nothing. Right away you know they won't do anything because it's the people who are quiet, who you don't even know exist let alone don't see and hear are the ones that get you and are anything real. It doesn't belong to you, and people do this because they are desperate and will eventualy destroy themselves on their own. Behavior institutions, really sick people on a slow motion suicide, that's what you are dealing with and will ultimately run into.

On a side note:

Just my opinion, take it for what it's worth, isn't the absolute worst thing you can do for your health during the time of covid is to hit a crack pipe with an underage Ukranian prostitute? During the Charlamagne tha God interview, my former Vice President wasn't just parroting something he heard and had no understanding. He had full knowledge of what crack cocaine does to people. I guess it was anxiety or trying to probe the conversation because this was out there. But doesn't that make it even worse? Seeing how he has military intelligence capability and also sent a lot of people to prison decades ago while rewarding his own with hundreds of millions for the same thing.

How can you control a covid pandemic when you cannot even control a family addiction, one of the easier ones too. Just bad habits and lifestyle more than anything. I know. Not below the belt either. At the top it's cut throat and he did it to other people.

Re: PayPal terminates account of Epik, home to Proud Boys domain and Gab

#24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, I mean, when they were banned from twitter, people said "build your own twitter", when they built gab and got banned from credit cards processors they said "build your own financial system", when they got banned from cloudflare they were told "build your own internet backbone" etc... At which point this is not censorship when companies equivalent to public infra with big public contracts and ties to the governm…

"ties to the government?" Even if that were more than vague and nebulous, it's still not "actually the government." Private companies terminating accounts of their own volition is not censorship.

>Private companies terminating accounts of their own volition is not censorship.

Are you conflating 1st amendment protections with "censorship"? Definition of censorship:

>The use of state or group power to control freedom of expression or press, such as passing laws to prevent media from being published or propagated.

(emphasis mine)

Re: PayPal terminates account of Epik, home to Proud Boys domain and Gab

#25
To be clear: the domain registrar has been cut off.

I doubt that Paypal is going to be consistent about this; _I suspect that_ illegal content and hate sites can be found in the registries of many major registrars.

Still, it's a concerning development for anyone who may be using the same registration service as a future target.

Edit: I missed that they are alleged to be laundering money.

Re: PayPal terminates account of Epik, home to Proud Boys domain and Gab

#26
post #10

This is why the media establishment (Google, Facebook) hated Bitcoin so much. Because it gives financial viability to independent thought.

r/independent thought/rampant, virulent racism and white supremacy/

To be fair, it did both.

Re: PayPal terminates account of Epik, home to Proud Boys domain and Gab

#27

In the coming years, we may see the rise of separate economies based on political divide. I think this is where we are heading, and this will counterpart the world splitting the internet into nationally divided fragments.

Without Visa, Mastercard or Paypal on the other side how can it survive? Cryptocurrencies as the current niche are hanging on, I suspect for as long as VMP permit them (ie buying bitcoin with a credit card). Everyone else, even Apple, go through them.

Re: PayPal terminates account of Epik, home to Proud Boys domain and Gab

#28

This is good news, but I suspect the "censorship cancel culture" crowd will be chiming in soon.

You say that now, but if the political winds change in future and progressive ideals and orgs are then labeled "hate speech", promoting violence, I suspect there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Re: PayPal terminates account of Epik, home to Proud Boys domain and Gab

#29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, I mean, when they were banned from twitter, people said "build your own twitter", when they built gab and got banned from credit cards processors they said "build your own financial system", when they got banned from cloudflare they were told "build your own internet backbone" etc... At which point this is not censorship when companies equivalent to public infra with big public contracts and ties to the governm…

Look, if you get a reputation for entering businesses and shitting on the floor, you'll find yourself banned from all of them eventually. The same is true for online businesses.

Money is speech, so says the supreme court (Citizens United). Impeding the transfer of fiat (infra which should be a utility) is a violation of constitutional rights (arguably) if you're not breaking the law. Even if I disagree with the speech (I do! Vehemently!), rights must be inalienable.

Maybe this should be patched in Section 230 legislation versus 18 USC § 1960, would have to read more statute to provide a proper opinion on which statute should protect money as speech transmittal (IANAL, would like to hear a JD's legal opinion).

Re: PayPal terminates account of Epik, home to Proud Boys domain and Gab

#30

In the coming years, we may see the rise of separate economies based on political divide. I think this is where we are heading, and this will counterpart the world splitting the internet into nationally divided fragments.

Will they be significant economies though? Gab and Epik are mostly about culture wars and conspiracy theories. How many people are actively involved in those?
Post reply on HN