Why We Need A Parallel Economy

Before It's Too Late

This week, PayPal threatened to impose a $2,500 penalty - per incident - for anyone spreading “misinformation”. A payment processor taking your money because they disagree with what you say. Let that sink in. After a huge backlash, PayPal claimed it was an error. We all know that’s a lie. It was a test to see what they can get away with.

Alexandros Marinos @alexandrosM

We tripped, fell, banged our heads on the keyboard, typing perfectly spelled words into the user agreement. Then as we were trying to get up, we put our hands on the desk, accidentally pressing the "Enter" button, which sent the new version to every user. Crazy day, bro.

Disclose.tv @disclosetv

JUST IN - PayPal spox on $2,500 fine: "An AUP notice recently went out in error that included incorrect information. PayPal is not fining people for misinformation and this language was never intended to be inserted in our policy... We’re sorry for the confusion this has caused."

PayPal’s attempt to censor and steal is the latest in a long string of examples that reinforce why we need a parallel economy. Now. We thought it was worth revisiting this article from earlier this spring.

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Think about your life in the last month. Did you go to the grocery store? Communicate with friends online? Drive your car? Visit the doctor? Go on a trip? These are normal activities that we expect as part of our everyday lives.  

What if you suddenly couldn’t do those things anymore? That might seem like a stretch, but what if?