It is only a matter of time before the prevalent view of speech shifts from freedom to restriction. But should the market shift in the direction of socialism, Marxism, or communism, this future seems less improbable and more inevitable. The answer is nothing the only thing preventing them from using this option is the market. What, after all, prevents other large tech platforms or even traditional banks from establishing themselves as the arbiters of truth and denying access to money, the basic means of subsistence in the modern world, to those who propagate ideas with which they disagree? There is no doubt in my mind that situations similar to this will continue to recur in the private sector, and the chilling impact they will have in the absence of a government response will likely manifest itself once more. In the absence of full transparency, it will be impossible for customers to trust PayPal’s word, given the company’s existing poor reputation. Furthermore, PayPal should seek to identify the individual or individuals responsible and explain why they were granted the permission to amend the terms and even why they were permitted to consider those changes. If PayPal wants to improve its public image, it must explain in detail how and why the error occurred. Whether or not this is the case, it is evident at this point that PayPal is ready, willing, and able to introduce repressive and restricted policies on the platform if public opinion shifts in the appropriate direction. Thankfully, PayPal reversed this decision, explaining that it was an error and was never intended to be included in the terms of service. Frequently, misinformation is just an unproven theory or a disputed viewpoint that causes dissidents to consider the opposition as the enemy. However, creating rules that permit a single body to determine what constitutes misinformation and what constitutes truth is inappropriate. Misinformation is harmful to society and should not be tolerated. It seems that PayPal, observing the effect Canada’s policy had on protests-essentially eliminating the protests overnight-decided to introduce a similar rule to establish itself as an influential speech moderator. The chilling impact on speech was evident, for instance, when the Canadian government began to freeze the bank accounts of protesting truck drivers earlier this year. It is not difficult to imagine the consequences of a payment processing giant instituting such an oppressive policy, making it not only the arbitrator of truth but also giving it a stranglehold over a person’s livelihood when it disagrees with that individual. PayPal, a company already reviled for its poor customer service and arbitrary rules, decided to begin assuming the role of the thought police by modifying its terms of service to allow it to collect a $2,500 fine in addition to freezing a person’s funds if he spreads “misinformation.” Governments, on the other hand, do not provide us with this right therefore, we must be willing to fight to the death to restore the principles we desire, should the government overreach.īut what happens when a business with the same impact on your life as the government goes badly? Recently, the payment processing behemoth PayPal crossed a line by implementing one of the most alarming and totalitarian rules ever imposed on clients by a private company. Instead, we need only to vote with our wallets and choose to transact with new companies that emerge as a result of the improper decisions made by existing companies. No revolution is necessary to change the policy of even the largest corporations, and no blood or death is required to strike fear into the hearts of private organizations. That’s why when a private entity decides to suppress speech, we frequently tolerate a certain degree of censorship before reacting and resisting. It is the foundation of every right that we enjoy as Americans and is the reason why society exists in its current form, as well as the reason why it will continue to evolve each year so long as this right exists.Īs we are well aware, the First Amendment guarantee of free expression extends only to censorship by state actors such as Congress, local governments, and school boards. Our right to free expression is unquestionably the most significant of all of the liberties that we hold most dear.
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