ProtonMail is launching an end-to-end encryption service which will render most spying useless, but there’s just one problem: PayPal. 

“At this time, it is not possible for ProtonMail to receive or send funds through PayPal,” ProtonMail co-founder Andy Yen announced this morning. “No attempt was made by PayPal to contact us before freezing our account, and no notice was given.”

PayPal froze $275,000 in campaign start-up funds just as ProtonMail was about to launch their new spy proof email service. For what you ask? That’s a good question. When asked why they were freezing the funds they responded with a question of legality of the venture. This would be a valid point if ProtonMail were selling drugs and children, but they’re an email provider.

1: Who is PayPal to tell people whether their business is legal in the country they reside in?

2: Why are people still using PayPal?

Unfortunately this isn’t an isolated incident. Paypal has been known to freeze accounts and stop legitimate business transactions. Their accounts are frequently hacked and they subject businesses to the same rigmarole and fees that the credit system is frequently being lambasted for. So why does anyone still use them? Good question.

Convenience, availability & penetration would be the only reason one would possibly use PayPal when there are so many better options. Penetration being that PayPal is royally stuck up the internet’s butt and it’s hard to get something out of there once it’s stuck. So what’s the solution? Dwolla is an excellent solution that only charges a quarter for transactions over $10 and nothing for anything under, Bitcoin and the myriad of other crypto-currencies have been taking over with nothing for transactions and who knows what else is out there! One thing is for sure. As PayPal and Ebay slip farther from usable and convenient to outright dangerous they will fall, and it’s up to us to decide who will succeed them. So choose a new payment provider for your business or grab a few to give people choices. Not only will you save yourself and your customers money, but you’ll be voting with you dollar for something better. While you’re at it ProtonMail for customer contacts wouldn’t be a bad idea to make sure all your communications are secure and hidden from hackers eyes. Ya know… once they can get the money people were trying to give them.

Sources:

http://thehackernews.com/2014/07/paypal-freezes-275000-campaign-funds-of.html