Naked Canadians Consider Class Action Lawsuit Against Paypal

Today a group of naked Canadians are considering a class action lawsuit against PayPal. The Federation of Canadian Naturists (FCN) -- an organization for Canadian nudists-- claims that PayPal suddenly cut off its services to them, refusing to process their magazine subscription payments after four years of business.
The FCN are not the first business to get denied services for supposedly breaking the acceptable use policy. Since 2003, PayPal has excluded so called "sexually oriented Web sites" from using their services for the purchase of digital goods like membership or subscription fees. However, any Web site is allowed to use PayPal for the sale of sexually oriented physical goods, like DVDs or magazines that are then delivered by hand to the customer. PayPal claims this is due to the immense administrative cost of doing business with an industry riddled with criminal schemes and frequent "charge backs" (when a customer disputes a charge to their paypal account.) In addition to this discrepancy between physical and digital goods, PayPal further reserves the right to deny Web sites that are distributing sexually oriented material involving minors or for Web sites that "facilitate meetings for sexually oriented activities." These two lines from the Mature Audiences section of their Acceptable Use Policy are what PayPal claims the FCN has violated.
While the nudists object to being considered sexually oriented in the first place, the government affairs director for the federation, Judy Williams, says "PayPal's decision about Going Natural and its claims about the FCN are unfounded embellishments born of ignorance."
According to the history, naturists base their practice on a nineteenth-century reform movement that believed the cure for the ailments of industrial society "was exposure to the natural healing elements or fresh air, sunlight, and water--preferably with loose or absent clothing." In addition, they don't believe that the naked body is inherently erotic, which anyone who has been to a nude beach can attest to. While the images in Going Natural magazine might include pictures of naked minors, a court would probably deem them no more pornographic than those baby pictures of you with a shampoo mohawk.
The last line of the PayPal's Mature audiences policy says that "PayPal will not include sexual preferences or viewpoints as a factor in determining what goods or services are prohibited under the Mature Audiences Policy." We think the FCN might not agree.
Related Links:
- Paypal to Customers Don't Use Safari
- Police Crack Down on Craigslist Sex Industry
- Man Goes to Jail For E-Mailing 15,00 Nude Pics Of His Ex





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Comments
39
Subscribe to commentsMikeApr 7th 2008 5:46PM
As long as you are not being paid to be nude. It's OK.
otrpuApr 7th 2008 5:52PM
We clothe our infants and teach kids to wear clothes. . .who cares about crazy naked Canadians?
RoyApr 7th 2008 5:54PM
The people that run both paypal and Ebay are probably the stupidest people on the planet. They ban things that don't matter and allow things that are truly harmful. Their policies are unequally enforced and allow their admins to harrass anyone at will all the while collecting HUGE FEES for their "service". PayPal and Ebay both suck. I hope these folks win their judgement and stick it to PayPal.
Ray CrowellApr 7th 2008 6:02PM
I had issues with my nieghbors because I go nude within my own home. The nieghbors complained to the police that they could see me through my windows. The situation went to court and my nieghbors were told that if they are looking into my windows then they are committing invasion of privacy and could be arrested. The complaints stopped.
sueApr 7th 2008 6:03PM
Some people here object so to being nude.. It makes me wonder if they take showers with their clothing on? You can look at the body in other ways than sexually. It really is a remarkable form and has great functionally purpose to it. Although I do agree with the other post, those who can go nude, usually don't, and those that shouldn't, do.It's been the case when I have traveled and have come across a nude sunbather.
DonnaApr 7th 2008 6:03PM
Were they getting paid??? If they were then thats all that matter!!! Don't u think??
BobApr 7th 2008 6:31PM
That Canadian beach looks like it's full of walruses anyway.
AKApr 7th 2008 6:43PM
TELL THEM TO ADVERTISE IN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. THEY PRINT NAKED AND WILD THINGS SOMETIMES FOR FREE.
kevin johnsonApr 7th 2008 6:58PM
I for one am fed up with pay pal. They are ridiculous in their decisions. A friend of mine has been selling on e-bay for 8 yrs and is a power seller. The pain is that they almost always rule for the buyer. He sells cellphones and I do also. WE offer a 7 day warranty on repair. So the most recent joke, a guy buys a cellphone, uses it for a month and then decides to send it back to us. There is nothing wrong with the phone, it works fine and he made and received over 50 calls with it before returning it. WE are in the business of selling phones, not letting people borrow them. Anyway pay pal decides in the favor of the guy and we lose the money. WE resold it but it ended up at a lower price. As a seller I can say they stink!! I wish someone else would come up with something similar so maybe they would care more about a seller, the person that makes them their money.
warren garrisonApr 7th 2008 8:54PM
you know, it's always somewhat interesting and of course frustrating to argue or discuss with someone, their beliefs that you know in your heart are as far from the truth and God as they possibly can be. And yet they look at you as if they are absolutely and perfectfly normal, as if they have a good mind, as if they really know what they're talking about and all the time you know they are just as full of chit as Jim Jones of Jonestown Massacre. Somehow, some way, I got on a Nudist mailing list or something or possibly my e-mail just got targeted from a generated site like these telemarketing companies do. Anyway, yea I looked, and I found it very interesting, besides somewhat stimulating, that even though they constantly promote themselves as healthy, just good clean living with absolutely no evil thoughts whatsoever, 95% of the pics shown, if not more, were of young girls. Hmmmmmmmm, interesting. Kind of strange that they would use young tight bodied firm breasted girls to promote their site rather than just families in general, DON'T-YOU-THINK????????HMMMMMMM!!!!!
QuitaApr 7th 2008 7:13PM
I commend Paypal for standing up for what they believe in. It's their right to. I like both Paypal and eBay. They should be able to run their business like they want and believe in. If those people are so intelligent, why don't they create their own services and website for people that are interested in that.
Tom S.Apr 7th 2008 7:15PM
Umm, you agree that PayPal can cut off your service when you sign up. Try reading the service agreement. This is just more pissing and moaning from a group of people too cheap to process the payments themselves. If you are big enough to have subscriptions to your magazine, you are big enough to process the subscriptions yourself. Especially with the proliferation of web software and businesses helping you run your own business, there is no excuse to sue a company to force them to take care of you.
candiApr 7th 2008 7:25PM
Well paypal just like other companies have their guidelines and rules they (have to go by)and if this is their choice so be it. their are other ways to pay other than pay-pal. It is a money racket for both sides and i dare say they will not presue it and if they do i really donot think it will do them any good. Just because pay-pal has denied them is no reason for all this nudist BS! Get over it and find another way to pay if that is what the problem is all about!!
DerfusApr 7th 2008 7:26PM
Naturists might not consider nudity sexual, but the owners of nudist camps and publishers of nudist magazines and videos apparently do, because they advertise heavily in swingers magazines and other sex publications like Penthouse and Hustler. You would have to be an idiot to think there aren't people who go to nudist camps and beaches to gawk at naked bodies and meet swingers. Why do you think certain nudist camps have "adult" areas for private, shall we say, activities?
vesterblueApr 7th 2008 7:30PM
Good for paypal
JimApr 7th 2008 7:56PM
Why is it always the fat ugly people are the first ones to drop their clothes.Do you know why those t-shirts cut off just below a woman's boobs are called half-shirts? Because only half of the women wearing them should! Nude beaches are fine as long as you don't look like a beached whale.
warren garrisonApr 7th 2008 9:00PM
i know it isn't nice to talk about killing someone and maybe I wouldn't, but i'd sure beat the hell out of the SOB that puts that thing on all the boards about seeing Paris Hilton naked. OF COURSE EVERYONE'S SEEN EVERYTHING SHE'S GOT BUT I THOUGHT, WELL MIGHT AS WELL AND THAT SIGHT WILL GRAB YOU AND WON'T LET YOU GO. I WORKED FOR OVER AN HOUR TRYING TO GET RID OF IT SO HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF DOG CRAP. YOU'RE JUST REALLY REALLY FORTUNATE I CAN'T GET MY HANDS ON YOU FOR PUTTING THIS JUNK ONLINE OR YOUR MOTHER WOULD BE IDENTIFYING YOUR BODY IN THE MORGUE. YOU'RE JUST A DEMON SPIRIT FROM HELL THAT SUCKS THE LIFE OUT OF PEOPLE WITH YOUR INSIDIOUS SCAMS AND VIRUSES AND YOU'LL PROBABLY BURN IN HELL FOR IT.
HartsfieldApr 8th 2008 10:38AM
Check out Paypalsucks.com and Screwpaypal.com
Paypal really does suck!
Ray LanfearApr 8th 2008 5:16PM
Paypal randomly does audits on their accounts and alleges they terminate people, for violation of their fine print. They also lock up your funds for a full 6 months. I sell educational material on the Internet and they shut be down also. Considering filing a lawsuit or joining in on this one. So would recommend if you have an Internet business do not go with Pay Pal for credit of any kind, feel to contact me for further information. RayLanfear