p2pnet - rss feed: PayPal as Net censor
p2pnet news | Freedom:- Having already ruled Australians will have to use PayPal and nothing else, like it or not, eBay has now taken on the role of Net censor.
Its PayPal will block “unsafe browsers” from using its service as part of, “wider anti-phishing efforts,” says the BBC, going on:
“Customers will first be warned that a browser is unsafe but could then be blocked if they continue using it.
“Paypal said it was “‘an alarming fact that there is a significant set of users who use very old and vulnerable browsers such as Internet Explorer 4′.”
The ‘ criminal community’
PayPal itself has a considerably less than enviable reputation.
A number of PPP (PayPalProtest) sites have sprung up.
PayPal Sucks was one of the first to go online, and it’s just published its first cartoon.
Meanwhile, on eBay’s decision to “protect” PayPal users by deciding, on their behalf, which sites are safe and which aren’t, “Paypal described the battle against phishing as a ‘fast-moving chess match with the criminal community’,” says the BBC.
How, precisely, will eBay know which sites should be blacklisted and which ones are OK, how will it avoid errors, and how will it actually block sites it decides are beyond the pale?
The story isn’t clear, but states:
“Paypal said it supported the use of Extended Validation SSL Certificates. Browsers which support the technology highlight the address bar in green when users are on a site that has been deemed legitimate.
“The latest version of Internet Explorer support EV SSL certificates, while Firefox 2 supports it with an add-on but Apple’s Safari browser for Mac and PCs does not.”
Stay tuned.
PayPal and nothing else - Use PayPal and ONLY PayPal, eBay orders Aussies, April 11, 2008
BBC - Paypal to block ‘unsafe browsers’, April 18, 2008
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April 19th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
It’s a pity that instead of alienating its own customers they don’t do something to improve the speed of their servers.
It’s taken over 10 minutes for a payment to be accepted and processed the last few times I’ve had to use Paypal.
Any more of this and I’ll be boycotting them.
The idea that my Mac running Leopard and the latest Safari browser is more vulnerable than some old PC running Windows 98, but using IE7 is frankly a slap in the face.
Paypal… as they say… sucks.
April 19th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
I don’t think that windows 98 can run IE7…but yeah a new mac is probably more secure than windows 98…
April 19th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
I don’t think “probably” is even close to defining their differences in relation to security.
April 19th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Never had a problem with Paypal myself and the website has always been pretty fast for me.
However, I’ve never really had to receive any money through it, so there is a whole side to it that I have no experience with.
April 19th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
I still think there is a business opportunity here for an auction site similar to EBay, that accepts payment styles other than PayPal.
Looks to me like EBay is shooting themselves in the foot.
That is, unless the number of scams they have to investigate is really high enough to save them money by omitting all other payment methods.
April 21st, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Since when as Internet Explorer been secure. Are they taking the p**s.