by Brian A. Wilkins
TheCOVIDBlog.com
October 11, 2022 (updated October 31, 2022)
LAS VEGAS — PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL) has had a terrible five-day stretch, and a worse 14-month stretch, for public relations and financial wherewithal. Things are about to get worse as the company’s lies and contradictions are exposed publicly.
The new “misinformation” policy
PayPal claims it accidentally published updates to its “Acceptable Use Policy” (AUP). Said changes were to take effect on November 3, 2022. Reddit users got ahold of the document; and it went viral last Friday. The updated policy states on the first two pages:
“Violation of this Acceptable Use Policy constitutes a violation of the PayPal User Agreement and may subject you to damages, including liquidated damages of $2,500.00 U.S. dollars per violation, which may be debited directly from your PayPal account(s) as outlined in the User Agreement.”
The AUP “violation” that caused the uproar reads that any person who engages in “sending, posting, or publication of any messages, content, or materials that, in PayPal’s sole discretion…promote(s) misinformation,” can lose $2,500 per violation, directly from their PayPal account.
The fallout
Hashtags like #CancelPayPal, #DeletePayPal, #GoWokeGoBroke, and others have been trending on social media since Friday. Tens of thousands of PayPal users have posted screenshots confirming that they closed their accounts with the company. Several mainstream media outlets have published articles providing specific instructions on how to cancel your PayPal account. It got so bad that PayPal stopped allowing users to cancel their accounts online since Saturday evening, October 8.
David Marcus is the former President of PayPal. Elon Musk was one of the top investors and former CEO of the X.com/Confinity company that eventually became PayPal. They, and many other prominent voices, denounced the new policy.
PayPal stock is down 12% since October 6 (as of publishing) when the new policy first started circulating. But the company has been inching towards bankruptcy since August 2021. PayPal Holdings, Inc. stock was $308.53 per share on July 23, 2021. But the company announced partnerships with both the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and Google to help de-platform “extremists” that same month.
Mainstream media were also putting pressure on big tech to de-platform and censor critical thinkers like myself that month. Several high-ranking House Democrats, including Adam Schiff, Eric Stalwell, and Ted Lieu, directly ordered PayPal to de-platform all critical thinking websites like The COVID Blog™ in December 2021. PayPal stock is down 73% (and still dropping) in the 14 months since it teamed up with Google and vaxx zealot organizations to stifle free speech. The stock is $83.28 per share as of publishing.
An unnamed PayPal spokesperson told several news outlets yesterday that the new policy “went out in error.” The spokesperson further stated:
“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, however, is flat-out lying. The company is in fact arbitrarily “fining” users $2,500 per “misinformation” violation. Even with the walk-back on the November 3, 2022 updates, the company’s current User Agreement and Acceptable Use Policy allows PayPal, at its sole discretion, to determine anything it wants to be “misinformation” and take your money.
PayPal says I owe them $380,000 for “spreading misinformation.” The arbitration is ongoing; and I’m representing myself. The entire process is a farcical clown show, and literally puts on display the god-like complex of PayPal, its attorneys, and its arbitrators.
Background on Wilkins vs. PayPal and the Notice of Claim
PayPal, voluntarily and on its own volition, de-platformed The COVID Blog™ on August 9, 2021. We wrote about it that day. PayPal provided no reason for terminating the business relationship. But we obviously knew why they did it. Anyone who speaks truth and displays critical thinking skills regarding the lethal injections and those ridiculous masks, gets de-platformed by big tech.
RELATED: Prashant Bhushan: Twitter censors prominent India Supreme Court lawyer for tweeting peer-reviewed study about mask ineffectiveness (April 12, 2021)
But since I was expecting the ban, it was no big deal. PayPal, however, continued filling my email inboxes daily with spam messages like “Your payment didn’t go through” and “You can’t have your money.” I replied to two of those emails, demanding that PayPal stop spamming us since they terminated our business relationship. The spam continued. I then logged into the PayPal system and, pursuant to their Electronic Communications Delivery Policy, wrote them an internal email that demanded they stop spamming us or face a lawsuit. The spam emails continued.
It was only after I serve a Notice of Claim on PayPal, Inc. in Glendale, California that the spam emails finally stopped (at least temporarily). But now I was demanding damages of over $100,000 for breach of contract and violations of California Business & Professions Code § 17529 et seq. PayPal is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in San Jose, California.
The first lawyer PayPal sent to attack me was some clown named V.R. Bohman, from a giant law firm called Snell & Wilmer.
His entire shtick can be summed up as follows: “I’m a lawyer! We’ll crush you! I’m a seasoned litigator. I’m so smart. You don’t know what you’re getting into.” I was sitting at my desk, so I played some sitcom laugh tracks as he was stroking himself. Since Bohman set the legal street fight tone, things got nastier from there. Two days later, on November 23, 2021, PayPal dispatched a female lawyer. She at least was professional. But no settlement was reached.
Meanwhile, PayPal emailed me on November 19, 2021, stating that I can withdraw the remaining funds from my account.
Like what you’re reading? Help keep us up and running. Please donate via Bitcoin, Ethereum, Stellar, credit/debit card, CashApp, Zelle, and/or eCheck.
That was actually quite surprising because a big part of PayPal’s RICO racket is to steal people’s money with arbitrary interpretation of their own AUP. PayPal can backtrack all it wants with the “we really don’t fine people $2,500 per misinformation violation.” But the bottom line is that PayPal’s current User Agreement and Acceptable Use Policy, effective September 19, 2022, states:
“You acknowledge and agree that $2,500.00 U.S. dollars per violation of the Acceptable Use Policy is presently a reasonable minimum estimate of PayPal’s actual damages.”
One of said “restricted activities” is if PayPal determines, at its sole discretion, that you are “provid[ing] false, inaccurate or misleading information.” Thus the only difference between the alleged “accidentally leaked” updated policy and the current one is the words “misleading information” versus the contraction “misinformation.”
Either way, PayPal can conjure up any tale, call it “misinformation,” and say you owe them $2,500 per violation. And that’s what is happening with me now, despite PayPal already clearing me of any alleged violations by releasing my remaining funds. There’s a res judicata argument pending with that. But I won’t get into it here.
Commencement of arbitration and a funnier $2,500 per “misinformation violation” clown show
I filed my Demand for Arbitration on March 3, 2022. I would have much rather done this in federal court. But PayPal’s User Agreement has an arbitration clause and, for the most part, federal courts have upheld it. You can read the entire demand here. Note that I’m no longer pursuing the Nevada claims because technically, I only had a mailing address there at the time, and thus had no legal standing. As of today there are 96 total spam emails sent from PayPal since the first time I demanded they stop. Thus they owe $96,000 in statutory damages. And now here’s where the clown show gets comical.
PayPal is now represented by another gigantic law firm called Dentons. It is the sixth-largest law firm in the world by revenue (for little ‘ol me). There are three total lawyers assigned to this case, with the primary one being Tara Z. Hall.
Hall denied everything in PayPal’s answering statement. She argued that I never informed PayPal three times to stop spamming us, despite all of the demands being documented. But that’s not the funny part. PayPal was now claiming that I had 152 violations of its Acceptable Use Policy because I sold a “pine needle cure for COVID-19.” PayPal, in its own brief (you can read the entire thing here), contradicts the entire company statement yesterday that backtracked on the $2,500 per violation for “misinformation” that can be taken directly from your account.
Here is a screenshot of the pertinent sections of the PayPal counterclaim brief.
RELATED: COVID Legal USA gets three copyright and trademark infringing websites, including thecovidworld.com, removed from the web, legal processes still ongoing (March 31, 2022)
PayPal is arguing that because the title of my June 7, 2021 editorial contains the phrase “pine needle tea cure” that I’m offering a cure for so-called COVID-19. First, that article contains over 2,000 words, with the word “COVID” appearing five times. All of those appearances reference COVID Legal USA or The COVID Blog™. You’d think if an article is about a cure for so-called COVID-19, it would say “COVID-19” repeatedly.
Second, look at how I always say “so-called COVID-19” here and in all other articles on this blog. As long-time subscribers and any reasonable person knows, The COVID Blog™ is not a member of that strange cult that believes every illness (or any illness for that matter) is so-called COVID-19. In fact one of our most popular articles still to this day is from April 13, 2021. It’s entitled “The greatest rebranding campaign of all-time is why the flu has all but disappeared in 2020-21.” “COVID-19” is simply rebranded flu, backed by the most coordinated propaganda campaign in human history.
Finally, selling a cure for so-called COVID-19 would be a federal crime. The Biden Justice Department, which trolls The COVID Blog™ all the time (we see their IP addresses constantly in analytics) would love nothing more than to see me behind bars. It’s frankly insulting that Hall conjured a tale that made me a member of the Church of COVID, with Fauci as lead pastor. Hall then declares that I’m spreading “misinformation” for posting links to 348 studies showing that hydroxychloroquine is a highly-effective treatment for so-called COVID-19. In other words, since PayPal dislikes those 348 studies, then said studies are “misinformation,” and $2,500 per violation (I think??).
And now the really fun part – the arbitrator.
The first one assigned to the case was a V.R. Bohman-clone named Stephen D. Marso, of Whitfield & Eddy Law Firm in Des Moines.
His arrogance and bias in favor of PayPal were evident from the very start of our first telephonic meeting. It wasn’t subtle at all. Despite arbitrators and attorneys being required to disclose all past and current relationships on their disclosures, Hall and Marso lied by omission on said disclosure. They left out the fact that both of them are part of the same nonprofit organization.
They tried playing the ignorance card when I filed the motion to dismiss Marso as arbitrator due to evident partiality. The American Arbitration Association agreed with me, and removed Marso on September 21. They just appointed a new arbitrator this morning. I’ll withhold her name since she at least deserves the benefit of the doubt. But based on her initial disclosures, it appears she and Hall are closer buddies than Hall and Marso.
And the beat goes on
PayPal is a lying, criminal organization. I haven’t even mentioned the whole “Delaware choice-of-law” thing. Paypal is essentially arguing that it is immune from California law because the User Agreement says so. PayPal is, again, headquartered in San Jose, California and all the infringing emails came from California. They type up their 100-page (or whatever) User Agreement and hide behind it while enriching their executives with one of the most elaborate RICO rackets in U.S. history.
I don’t even care if I win this thing anymore. It is all about gamesmanship at this point. Arbitration is an administrative remedy that must be exhausted before you can ask a federal judge to review the decision. Federal court is public; and I feel this process should be public for all to see as well.
I assume vaxx zealots will see this article, see that PayPal is contradicting its walk-back from yesterday, but still believe PayPal’s policy update was released in error. When it’s all said and done, all PayPal had to do is stop spamming us, pursuant to their own user agreement, and none of this would be happening. I just get a kick out of all this now, making these high-priced lawyers look like fools.
My mom named me Brian because of that 1971 movie “Brian’s Song.” In fact Brian was one of the top 5 or 6 baby name’s in the 1970s because of that movie. This Brian’s song entails perpetual daily hate and attacks from all angles, blog research/writing, book research/writing, COVID Legal USA, and the gym.
Today I am going to have a glass of wine, like right after this article is published. Why? Because New Year’s Eve was my last glass of wine; and I want one now. And afterwards, The Beat Goes On.
Stay vigilant and protect your friends and loved ones.
COVID Legal USA is your partner in fight mandatory vaccines and other COVID mandates. Follow us on Telegram. Pre-order The COVID Blog™ book here. Shipping starts on December 15, 2022.
Fight back against censorship! We are once again processing credit card donations. CLICK HERE TO DONATE VIA CREDIT OR DEBIT CARD.
I closed my eBay account due to Paypal’s perfidy.
My brother’s name is Brian…. He was born October 16th, 1973….
Keep on doing what you do Brian!
Excellent in-depth reporting on this topic, and I am saddened yet intrigued by your personal story. It is beyond ridiculous what they are trying to do.
And yes, it is disgusting what RICO laws are generally used for (seizures stemming from the smallest infractions of the common folk), instead of the disgorgement of illicit proceeds from large co-conspirators.
Hi Brian, you are a fun, interesting, wonderful person, a David amongst Goliaths. God bless you and keep you safe for the continuing battle!
Cheers, enjoy that glass of wine, you deserve it! ?
Haha….
The link that was given for the AUP was:
https://web.archive.org/web/20220927223312/https://www.paypalobjects.com/marketing/ua/pdf/US/en/acceptableuse-full-110322.pdf
That link says that the agreement was “Last updated on November 3, 2022.”
This company has its stuff sooooo together they are claiming they did something on a day that has not even happened yet? Are they going to fine themselves $2,500 for misinformation?
Brian, you are a bulldog, and I will be praying for you to win this thing.
“Arbitrators” always side with TPTB. I went through this with the EEOC. The rudness of the regional office I dealt with was off the chart, and my personal “arbitrator” made it plain from our first conversation, that she did not believe me, and was going to side with my former employer. Three times she said she was closing my case, and three times I told her I would go over her head if she did so. We actually got in a screaming match on the phone…so much for professionalism. I finally won my case, but only receive a pittance. Money was not my motivation. These types of organizations become very flustered when they chance upon someone with no legal training, who will hold their feet to the fire, and not give up. I was not going to give that b**** the satisfaction of seeing me roll over like most people will do.
I knew it, we knew it they are coming after you. Time to donate to thecovidblog.
I am doing that today. I look forward to your book. I plan to follow you and your research reports wherever you go. Great work Brian!? Oh. Delete Venmo too since it’s part of the PayPal family.
Brian, your strength and tenacity juxtaposed with your tongue and cheek subtle barbs, then coupled with tech savvy and then topped off with your writing ability to keep us interested and well informed – well if I were 100 years younger and single I would buy you that wine – if ever in the Austin area I can lay some fine old married lady cooking on ya! You are the best and I am spreading your word to as many rural residents as possible. Prayers and God bless you and keep you safe! You are such a beacon of light among this dark evilness.
You have the support of many, many people in my orbit and we are the majority. Whatever happens to bring this clown world shitshow to a close, we must remember that God is on our side; they hate our kids, they hate our families, and it is becoming impossible for even the most naïve normies to ignore. Fuck paypal and the dipshits that represent them.
Oh Brian! We followers know all too well that you suffer immensely for doing this blog, Yes the hate and attacks and all. More than all of us could probably imagine, I am sure, or that you reveal here.. You are probably telling us only part of if. But we also know why you continue to do it, and we LOVE you for it. Those who have stood up for the truth have always had hell to pay for doing so. But they know they have to and so they keep on keeping on.
I will pray fervently you win this thing against PayPal as they need to have their butt kicked big time.
I have to say, I am so glad I got rid of both PayPal and Ebay some time ago.
We love you! Know that!
Oh, don’t worry. Paypay will be here forever, just like Fakebook, GoFMe, & Twatter. They will whine & complain (why did they block my post?) but they will never, ever, leave, b/c that would be inconvenient.
Americans are far too lazy to boycott anything.
As their value declines precipitously, those outfits will eventually perish. And since they produce nothing tangible, there will be no salvage value. FB and PP are both down about 70% over the past year and a half, and Twitter is being bought up by someone we hope will be a bit more of an independent critical thinker.
At its onset, PP failed to get a proper legal bank charter. In my eyes at least, that alone makes PP an outright criminal from start to finish. I have been using PP under duress for over twenty years now for the sake of online sales. I utterly hate arch criminal Peter Thiel, founder of PP.
I didn’t know about this, I’ll close my PayPal account this week and make another donation to the Covid Blog. The Covid Blog is literally one of my 2 only routine news sources and I swear the other one reads the Covid Blog too!!
After a month of fighting with PayPal and being told something different each time I contacted them, I finally had to go to my credit union and have them put a permanent “stop payment” on all PayPal transactions. As soon as that went through, I was able to close my PayPal Account. I did not have any transactions with PayPal, which is what made the whole thing so ridiculous. It was obvious that they were stalling. I am so glad that I closed it. I also deleted my gmail account–everyone needs to do that too.
This case and others like it will be paypals undoing. If they were smart, they would have paid you off already.
Oh Brian, you are a warrior & my hero. I pray for your continued protection by our almighty Lord. PS: I just deleted my paypal account.
Adding up PayPal stock losses the last 2 sessions, where they wanted to take $2,500 from us, we’ve taken $10,000,000,000 from them!
I will mail in a check before I use Paypal, I have a long memory, not like most people who boycott for a week and then go back. This can all stop now is only 20% were as stubborn as me, but I have realized that most people like to be ruled. No vax for me, no dictators for me.
Amazing stuff !!! Keep us posted.
I just deleted my account so that you for giving the kick required.
Can’t help but think that on another level this may be a bit staged one way or another something to do with digital international settlements going forward.
Still. A response is required. They were testing and now they see many more are onto them.
I was able just now to close my PayPal account. Good riddance.
Thanks for the info. I had heard something about PP the past few days but didn’t know the particulars. Closed PP and ebay.
Holy crap. I’m going to close my PayPal account now. Not because they are already dicks, but because they are after you Brian.
Hallo. I am happy to hear that you are fighting for justice and wish you luck.
What strikes me in this whole issue is their audacity to judge what you are selling. It is none if their business what you are selling. If people want to purchase pine needles, they should be able to do so. Why are they deciding what one should sell or purchase? Are pine nuts fine with them? But pine needles are not?!? None of their business. They are there for the funds transfer! Why do they feel entitled to interpret scientific literature? Who is interpreting it? This is just so sad and tragic. They are crossing their line.
take care and God bless.
I got the policy changes email from Paypal. I opened. Hit ctrl+F, typed “misinformation”. Found one mention and closed my account. Didn’t even need to read anything. I knew what was coming.
How ridiculous! I thought PayPal was a payment-transfer company…? But when did they grant themselves editorial control over those wishing to transfer payments? Clearly anyone who participates with them in any way would be foolish.
Having observed the world for 50+ years now I can’t believe the insanity which has recently taken over. It has become a very sick civilization and ‘society’. Trust me, none of this would fly in the 1960s when I was growing up. Things weren’t perfect but people had morals back then, and ethics.
Nothing goes out “in error”. They’re now saying the policy is the best thing to happen for crypto and Bitcoin. And we all know how rocky that has been. So if that’s the result, then it was the intent. Period
Yep, just another little nudge in the direction of digital currencies they want everyone to follow.
I doubt the publishing of the policy was in error. Same with the draft SCOTUS abortion policy being leaked. It was simply to gauge public sentiment and reaction. Nothing that happens now is coincidence, it’s simply population manipulation. People aren’t watching “programs” the way they used to. So the powers that be question, how do we get you to react the way we want without showing our hand? Get off the internet, stop watching the news and most TV programs, spend time with your family because it’s about to go dark….
I just closed my paypal account – thank you for everything you’re doing!
The ADL was created to defend a raping, murdering Christian-hating jew and he blamed two black guys.
Wow… I had heard about this Paypal situation on a commentary program on our local radio after work… i couldnt’ believe it, …but yet I can seeing how Communist all of these internet platforms have become denying American citizens of our first amendment rights as though these rights are now as good as used toilet paper.
The icing on the cake is that Paypal refuses someone from cancelling their account after this episode— so what does that mean? if you have a paypal account you are forced to keep it? Double Wow!!! I’m glad I cancelled my paypal account years ago.. never had a good feeling about them, and judging from the sneering faces of their lawyers photos in this article, i knew my hunch was right.
Great job Brian W.
Had my account since 2002, just closed it online without issue. The whole idea that they would hire employees to monitor user activities outside of their web site is beyond the pale.
One of the things that strikes me as odd is their supposed ability to see what you send.
Thank you. I have just deleted my PayPal account.
There are alternatives nowadays. Besides, credit cards (not debit cards though) offer as good, if not better protection.
‘PayPal says I owe them $380,000 for “spreading misinformation.” ‘
This kind of fascist impunity & insanity should be laid bare, shouted from the rooftops and heard in the supreme court. Start a Givesendgo fundraiser and fight like a mad dog. Wow, unbelievable ???
I’m taking a wait-and-see what happens approach. Many of my clients pay me via PayPal. My first impulse was to cancel my account. But I learned from my very wise parents to pick my battles wisely. Sometimes a good public a** whooping is all that’s needed to stop something. And PayPal is getting their a** whooped right now. I’m getting a lot of emails from them, they must be in panic mode.
They are in panic mode from people with principles, like myself and others who have closed their accounts because of this article. Obviously you don’t really care about right and wrong unless it affects you directly. You, sir, seem to be one of those “it is only wrong when it happens to me” people. I hope you have food stored up, because I certainly won’t be sharing with you next year.
Goodness. What a motley group of lawyer pictures.
I cancelled mine online on 15/10.
I’m from India and due to my freelance work from US, I used to get payment from PayPal, there were no alternatives then. The fees charged by PayPal like two decades back was so ridiculous combined with the worst exchange rate that whatever few dollars I got, it became half once it reached my bank account in India.
It was a ridiculous company two decades back, there were 1000+ complaints on them, fortunately, the alternative like xoom, transferwise etc showed up and never looked up.
PayPal = Nigerian Scam.
They want you to engage with them and waste your precious time in litigation and lawyers and not do research and THINK.
Bitcoin is no alternative either, controlled by same forces.
This 2500 fine is ridiculous by design. They want us to simply waste our time
I remember the article about whie pine needles. It was not anything about a cure for so called covid. It was about spike protein shedding from kill shots. This is clearly a criminal enterprise at PayPal.
Collect all the released documents from Pfizer, Moderna, the CDC ect and let them disprove what you posted. If they can’t then sue them for slander, harassment, theft ect.
Btw, the laugh track thing is hilarious. Reminds me of that “stugots” episode of the Sopranos.
I cancelled my PayPal account. We dont need Social Credit systems like China
Do you use apps instead? Cause that’s what you’re supporting if you go with apps instead of online paypal. You don’t know what they have planned.
I paid thru pay pal I guess once in my life maybe. Recently (several months ago or so) have been getting warnings my PayPal may have been tampered with. If I had used pp in the past I can’t remember. Makes me wonder if they are as secure as they state. Evidently bought out. Money always talks. One of my siblings has used my ss# for her phone bills etc so I wonder if the pay pal was from that. My sister is a psycho.
Last August, when you wrote that Paypal deplatformed The Covid Blog, I closed my PP account that next weekend. In the “reason why” box, I clearly told them it was because of them deplatforming The Covid Blog.
The Covid Blog has helped me to stay sane in this Covid-obsessed, Covid bioweapon-mandated-experimental-serum-jabbed cuckoo world. Because of this, I’m loyal to The Covid Blog/Brian and I didn’t need to think about closing it; I just did it.
I pray you are successful against them; a David to their Goliath. May you be blessed in everything you do. ??
Great article as always!
I closed/deleted my PayPal-account 10 minutes ago. No error messages.
I had to call in and request that my PP account be closed. The lady who helped me, while polite and professional, did everything she could to stop me from closing my account.
It took a little while, but I closed it. She stated that the AUP did not, in fact, punish people for “misinformation” and that it was inserted in error. My response was:
Somebody had to have written that document, it did not write itself.
That’s when she closed the account.
Fortunately, I never got involved with the losers at paypal.
thanks so much for the sudden death reports, it’s like watching a wreck on the freeway.
I know you’re working on the book so here’s a small contribution to help keep u going.
screw pfizer, fauci and baric.
if you can’t print that, sorry, had to let it out
No new posts for 10 days; AND the link to his blog is now blocked (at least for me it was).
I wonder what happened.
Next time you’re clicking through one of those impossibly long and impenetrable legal disclaimers to a company’s terms of service, it may be time to have a closer look.
Amen. Everything should be worded and explained so even a 5 year old can interpret but we know why everything is explained the way it is when it comes to big companies and possibly even more.
I get worried about you Brian when there isn’t a new post in over a week. I hope you are doing well!
You can also “soft close” your account. Change every subscription from Paypal to a credit card. Then, in the future always use your credit card and NOT Paypal. Then, message Paypal and let them know. Tell them HOW SIMPLE it is to avoid using Paypal.
I cannot totally close the account cuz I occasionally send money with it. But they have lost 95% if my business and I have told them exactly why.
Yeah, really bright plan. Go ahead and leave yourself open to what is happening to Brian by continuing to associate with them.
You know HOW SIMPLE it is to send a check?
Both of those lawyers look like mutants. Weird.