| Subject: FW: PayPal Backs Down and Restores Service to Alleged WikiLeaks Whistle-Blower Support Effort |
| From: "Isikoff, Michael (NBCUniversal)" <Michael.Isikoff@nbcuni.com> |
| Date: 2/25/11, 14:29 |
| To: "Barrett Brown" <barriticus@gmail.com> |
Press
contact:
Jeff
Paterson
Bradley Manning Support
Network
415-279-9697
PayPal Backs Down and Restores
Service to Alleged WikiLeaks Whistle-Blower Support
Effort
10,000 supporters sign petition
protesting service cut-off
February 25, 2011, San Francisco, CA
– Hours after a public campaign
was launched against PayPal for halting services to Courage to Resist, which in
collaboration with the Bradley Manning Support Network raises funds in support
of U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, the online payment provider backed down, and
restored service to the organization.
Over 10,000 people signed a petition hosted
by Firedoglake urging PayPal to reinstate the charitable account, while many
more supporters called
PayPal directly to voice their criticisms.
PayPal is the one way people -- especially
international residents -- are able to contribute to the grassroots effort
supporting the accused WikiLeaks whistleblower.
Jeff Paterson of Courage to Resist said today, “We
have spent nearly a month trying to resolve this matter with senior PayPal
staff. Only after a conference call in which their chief compliance officer
bluntly stated that our account would be permanently restricted and our funds
returned in 180 days did we issue this morning’s statement on the
matter.”
PayPal insisted on excessive measures for the
soldier’s support organization to retain access to PayPal’s services, “They
opted to apply an exceptional hurdle for us to clear in order to continue as a
customer, whereas we had clearly provided the legally required information and
verification. I think our dealings with PayPal should be a cautionary tale for
any possibly controversial not-for-profit entity with a PayPal account,”
Paterson said. “While there may be no legal obligation to provide services,
there is an ethical obligation. By shutting out legitimate nonprofit activity,
PayPal has shown itself to be morally bankrupt.”
Paterson received the following email after logging
into the PayPal account after the action was launched:
Subject: Your PayPal Account Access Has Been
Restored
Hello Courage to
Resist,
Our review is complete and we have restored your
account.
We appreciate your patience and thank you for your
help in making PayPal
the safest and most trusted online payment
solution.
If you have any further questions, please feel free
to contact us again.
Responses to this email address are not monitored.
Please send any
Sincerely,
PayPal Compliance
Department
PayPal, an eBay
Company
The Support Network repeatedly requested and was
refused formal documentation from PayPal describing their policies in this
matter.
PayPal is a private company and thus under no legal
obligation to provide Courage to Resist, the Bradley Manning Support Network, or
anyone else with services. This was something made very clear to the Support
Network by PayPal representatives.
Timeline
Courage to Resist registered the PayPal account in
2006. There were no issues with this account until supporters were encouraged to
donate via PayPal to help fund the “Stand with Bradley Manning” public statement
and petition effort (www.standwithbrad.org).
In late 2010, PayPal, MasterCard and Visa closed down
payment services to WikiLeaks, severely restricting that organization’s ability
to accept online donations. Within days, Courage to Resist project
director and Support Network steering committee member Jeff Paterson fielded
lengthy calls from executives at PayPal regarding website content, the intended
use of the funds being solicited in support of Bradley Manning, and accountings
of the recent purchases (primarily envelopes, paper, and postage stamps) made
with PayPal funds.
The PayPal account was briefly restricted at that
time pending organizational “verification.” To meet PayPal’s standard
verification requirements, the Support Network opted to open a line of credit
with PayPal and provided Social Security numbers and other financial details in
doing so. Approximately a month later on January 29, 2011, PayPal decided
that these standard protocols did not apply to Bradley Manning related
efforts.
Background
Donations made via Visa, MasterCard, and
Discover--along with checks and money orders--remain unaffected. Funds donated
to Bradley Manning’s defense fund are used for legal defense expenses, public
awareness efforts, and minimal administrative costs. Information regarding
donations, including a fiscal accounting of funds, is publicly available on the
Internet at http://couragetoresist.org/bradley
Manning is an American soldier who has been held in
solitary confinement since June 2010. He is currently being held in
pre-trial confinement at the Marine brig in Quantico, Virginia, and is not
expected to face court martial until at least October 2011. Manning has been
convicted of no crime and has a Constitutional right to a fair trial. The
Support Network is dedicated to ending Manning’s extreme and illegal pre-trial
punishment, ensuring he receives civilian legal representation of his choosing,
and thwarting efforts by the U.S. government to hold a secret trial, out of
sight of media and supporters. The Support Network has no organizational ties to
WikiLeaks.
