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0 pointscft3y ago0 comments

The problem here is that DDoS mitigation requires centralization. There aren't cheap alternatives. Same goes for any utility. Would it be okay for Visa to permanently turn off all your current and future credit and ATM cards if you used Visa in objectionable way, say you paid a meth dealer and then resold at scale? Because it's "much faster" to turn off Visa than to do a police investigation and issue an arrest warrant. Would it be okay for Google to delete your Google account to suddenly cut you off from your Android phone? Would it be ok for an electric company to suddenly turn off your electric service because they suspect you cook meth? Would it be ok for a water company to stop providing water to a building, because a criminal lives in one of the apartments?

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judge20203y ago

Visa et al. already do this for legal business/speech: see Patreon[0], OnlyFans[1], Gab[2]. Payment processing is not regulated as a utility and probably never will be in the States.

0: https://www.vice.com/en/article/vbqwwj/patreon-suspension-of...

1: https://www.protocol.com/policy/onlyfans-visa-mastercard

2: https://bitcoinist.com/coinbase-paypal-ban-gab/

hash8723y ago

While I strongly agree with your broader point- payment processing is absolutely regulated at close to a utility-level. Congress sets the rates that Visa & Mastercard can charge for credit & debit cards via statute. That's getting pretty close to say electric utility levels of regulation

JoBrad3y ago

Even though they aren’t regulated as a utility, they are very highly regulated. The examples you gave are just highly-politicized examples of a now-common standard and practice that all processors operating in the US have been required to uphold (not that it was involuntary) for decades. That’s part of why Stripe and other Payment Facilitator services have exploded: it’s not easy to open a traditional payment processing account, and very easy to get it shut down for seemingly random reasons.

Despite the online fervor over this, payment processors are clearly within their legal rights to shut down payment processing for abuse - even if it is only suspected.

treis3y ago

Yes to the private companies and no to the public utilities.

The problem is that you say "used Visa" like it's an inanimate object without its own agency and responsibilities. It's not and as a company it's both capable and has the responsibility of choosing whether or not to be in business with meth dealers.

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