The online payment method CashU, popular in the middle east and north Africa, has told vpn companies it will stop processing their payments, as vpns support anonymity which "can be abused".
The response from CashU suggests that an external party is prohibiting the company from accepting VPN services. It's unclear who is behind this but TorGuard CEO Ben Van Pelt believes it may be the result of censorship forces in the region.
"Privacy online is a basic human right and fundamental building block of any free, democratic society. Unfortunately, CashU's Middle Eastern underwriting banks are not located in such a place. Censorship laws enforced by the United Arab Emirate's Telecom Regulatory Authority borderline on draconian as they decide what content is or is not acceptable," Van Pelt tells TorrentFreak.
"It seems that this new anti VPN 'transitional stage' for CashU is part of a larger issue of increased government censorship and regulation in the region," he adds.
It's worth nothing that CashU still accepts payments for VPN providers who have signed up previously. It will be interesting to see whether these merchants can keep their accounts or if they will be disconnected in the future.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by AnonTechie on Wednesday July 09 2014, @08:47PM
Could it be that the company is being subtly pressured to stop processing payments for VPN services ? I would not be surprised at all.
Albert Einstein - "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
(Score: 4, Informative) by TK on Wednesday July 09 2014, @08:49PM
From TFA:
The fleas have smaller fleas, upon their backs to bite them, and those fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum
(Score: 2) by AnonTechie on Wednesday July 09 2014, @09:43PM
Yeah. You are correct. The article mentioned only the UAE. I was referring to all others countries in the Middle-East and North Africa.
Albert Einstein - "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Snow on Wednesday July 09 2014, @09:15PM
This is why we need bitcoin - no banks telling us what we can and can't do with our money.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 09 2014, @10:17PM
Has anyone used Dwolla? [google.com]
Any problems?
-- gewg_
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 09 2014, @10:46PM
google's bitch
(Score: 1) by middlemen on Thursday July 10 2014, @02:13PM
This is why there is a surge of financial institutions and hedge funds and private entities purchasing large swaths of bitcoins. Case in point the Silk Road auction was won by a hedge fund man Tim/Tom/Tam/whatever Draper...
Once the financial cartel has enough bitcoins your Insightful rated argument will be moot.
(Score: 4) by PinkyGigglebrain on Wednesday July 09 2014, @09:29PM
I think my sig says it all
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 5, Insightful) by PinkyGigglebrain on Wednesday July 09 2014, @09:38PM
As the Americans learned so painfully in Earth's final century, free flow of information is the only safeguard against tyranny. The once-chained people whose leaders at last lose their grip on information flow will soon burst with freedom and vitality, but the free nation gradually constricting its grip on public discourse has begun its rapid slide into despotism. Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master.
Commissioner Pravin Lal,
U.N. Declaration of Rights
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 10 2014, @12:26AM
Fixed.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 09 2014, @10:33PM
> I think my sig says it all
> -
> "Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their Hearts they dream themselves you Master."
And the typos, including random capitalizations, reveals your juvenile and supercilious nature.
Normally I deplore typo flames, but you held it up as some great insight and not just a quick note. If your own ideas aren't worth the effort required to proofread a single sentence, why should anyone take them seriously?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 09 2014, @10:51PM
Here's an ironic typo flame for you mister:
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 09 2014, @10:54PM
> Here's an ironic typo flame for you mister:
I decided to leave that in there when I was proofing it so as to twig people who can't understand the difference between a "quick note" and citing your own writing as some great insight.
(Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Thursday July 10 2014, @08:06AM
I fully concede that the missing r in "your" was bad proofreading, it was late when I set up the account. it has now been fixed.
As to the capital letters in knowledge and master those are both intentional. Kind of like saying "your in big Trouble young man. I guess that subtlety was lost. Though on further thought I agree with you the the "h" in hearts should be lower, can't remember why I had it that way originally as no one else ever commented on it. But I'm keeping the other two capital, Knowledge is important and Master in this usage is a title, you know like "Yes Master, I'll behave from now on".
Also, another thanks to gman003 who also pointed out the typo in another post, and he was polite enough to leave his name so I could thank him properly.
See? All fixed. Happy now?
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 2) by gman003 on Wednesday July 09 2014, @11:04PM
Yes it does - including the typo (pretty sure it should be "your master" not "you master").
(Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Thursday July 10 2014, @07:41AM
Thanks for spotting that. Fixed.
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Wednesday July 09 2014, @10:43PM
Here's a tip:
* Transfer money to a bank in the free world
* Use a online transaction service using that free account to pay VPN, or let the free bank pay directly
One may insert various transfer chains to confuse. And one could send other values than money to build up a capital outside a region.
Don't forget that the big country where Indians once lived has a self interest in the country which has the same acronym as Useful Anime Electrons..
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 10 2014, @02:20AM
> Transfer money to a bank in the free world
Here's a tip - do it yourself before prescribing it for other people.
That will help you figure out just useless your tips are.
(Score: 1) by tomek on Thursday July 10 2014, @12:10PM
...therefore CashU should be banned or at least they should follow their own policy and stop trading immediately.