March 14, 2012 | Online

PayPal now okay with erotic books

Last month, PayPal threatened to shut down any accounts associated with the selling of erotic books. The company objected to content it deemed offensive, and sites like Smashwords, BookStrand.com and eXcessica, were given days to remove any x-rated books.

The decision met with immediate protest. The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) joined the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE)  to pen a protest letter to eBay, the owner of PayPal, demanding  the company review the decision.

PayPal reversed the decision last week.

“This decision recognizes the important principle that neither PayPal nor any other company involved in payment processing has any business telling people what they should read,” said Joan Bertin, executive director th NCAC.

“It is an important victory for free speech on the Internet,” ABFFE President Chris Finan added.

PayPal's new policy is to allow all e-books regardless of content unless they “contain child pornography, or ... text and obscene images of rape, bestiality or incest (as defined by the U.S. legal standard for obscenity…)."

The company also promised to create a system through which sellers can challenge a removal notice.

PayPal has always been reluctant to deal in matters of adult sexuality, so this is a positive sign that the company is maturing.

PayPal Lifts Ban on Erotic Books [XBiz]