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Isn't this the kind of threat that payment processors made to Steam regarding some NSFW games? I believe it was an Australian "grassroot" campaign that led to the latest ban of many Steam (and Itch.io) games, and the threat was payment processors stop working with Steam.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_Shout#2025_Steam_and_Itch.io_game_removals
This is the power they have now, imagine a cashless society..
You know how sometimes a story seems so completely crazy, that you wonder what detail has been left out? Like… the payment provider just randomly wanted a list of all passwords? What?
Agree, there's no way this is the whole story. Someone is hiding something. If that isn't the FSFE then I'm guessing that the payment processor set the whole thing up as a flimsy reason for kicking them out with a "justified" cause. As to why, who knows.
Holy shit you weren't kidding
Over the past few months, our former payment provider Nexi S.p.A. (“Nexi”) requested access to private data, which we understood to be specifically the usernames and passwords of our supporters. We have refused this request. All our attempts to clarify Nexi’s request, or to understand how their need for such information was necessary and legal, were met with what we consider to be vague and unsatisfactory explanations relating to a general need for risk analysis.
I think that was an exaggeration. They likely "just" wanted their account names and PII. It was simply not clear, and they never clarified it, which is absurd. Probably because it is illegal to ask, but if they get data willingly, they are out of trouble?
More than 450 current FSFE supporters who use automatic renewal with credit card or direct debit have been affected by Nexi’s actions.
EFSE has only 450 people giving recurring donations (using credit card or direct debit, at least)?! Never mind the payment processor bullshit, why aren't more of y'all donating?
Many more likely use SEPA invoices or direct payments, which seem way better. But I dont know, the FSFE could absolutely use more donators, they are doing very important legal and policy work for free software.
I will start donating to the FSFE when they stop their crusade against RMS.
I like RMS and FSF(e), but where would we be without constant infighting?
In a more successful place, I presume.
I'm poor and not European
Process the fucking payment, payment processor.
You are legally required to pay us, but we aren't legally required to give you the service you paid for.
In case your client just spins trying to load the content like mine did:
Over the past few months, our former payment provider Nexi S.p.A. (“Nexi”) requested access to private data, which we understood to be specifically the usernames and passwords of our supporters. We have refused this request. All our attempts to clarify Nexi’s request, or to understand how their need for such information was necessary and legal, were met with what we consider to be vague and unsatisfactory explanations relating to a general need for risk analysis. > > Subsequently, we found ourselves unable to receive credit card donations through Nexi’s system. In the afternoon of 10 March, we were further informed that our contract had been cancelled a few days prior on 7 March, due to our supposed failure to meet their deadline to fulfil their request. This deadline was not communicated to us beforehand, despite us having been Nexi’s customer for the past 15 years. This is completely crazy! As 450 supporters are affected, that is a huge amount of donations that were cut off!
Nexi S.p.A. (“Nexi”) requested access to private data, which we understood to be specifically the usernames and passwords of our supporters. ...relating to a general need for risk analysis.
I think they passed the risk analysis portion. Isn't it more risk if they hand out usernames and passwords? That's insane. They shouldn't even have access to passwords.
Jerboa doesnt support crossposting and neither did lemmy web for me, so no idea how that is supposed to work
Payment processors are a blight
Actually yeah. Completely useless intermediaries just leeching other peoples money.
I understand the sentiment but payments are quite a bit more complex that people tend to realize. For most companies, handling payments directly without an intermediary is far too expensive, complex and risky.
Fuck MasterCard and VISA btw.
Source: I work for a PSP.
Other than Bitcoin or cryptocurrencies, what’s the solution to this problem?
Letting the post office become a bank. Which is an idea that’s been floated for like a century.
Make it happen and one day later they're arguing who to provide their services too and who not.
The post office in our country became a bank, and then the bank-and-post-office was privatized and bought up and now the mail sucks and the former postal bank is investing in the Palestinian genocide (real estate on Palestinian land, weapons research with field tests on Palestinians, etc.).
How would this work exactly? The post office would send cash around the same way they send letters around, or would they just handle direct bank transfers?
They would do everything a normal bank does. Here is an article that talks about the idea.
I see. Thanks for the info
We have it in India. I usually prefer them to most banks for savings accounts, or FDs. Their rates are usually much better.
What is "the post office" for Europe?
AFAIK a lot of European countries have an equivalent of the USPS. Though in doing a quick search for this post I learned that Germany doesn’t have a state owned mail service anymore which is weird. Maybe it’s time for the EU to take on that role?
Dutchy here; our national post office has been privatised decades ago (it currently goes by the name of PostNL). I believe most (western) eu countries don't have a national postal service anymore, like there isn't a national phone, tv or internet provider anymore.
I learned that Germany doesn’t have a state owned mail service anymore
It's so dumb. We privatized all kinds of important infrastructure, then it became enshittified for revenue maximization and now it's broken, shitty and expensive.
Some postal service, trains, telecommunication service, banks, airports & airlines etc have been government owned a few decades ago and worked so so much better.
Yeah, most European countries don't have a government postal service. Either it's always been private or it was privatized decades ago. The USPS is fairly uncommon model.
Wellllll, let's make banks fulfil post office duties instead! :)
GNU Taler, which is an anonymous (for the sender, not receiver) digital cash.
If the FSFE were to use a bank utilizing that system, the bank would not be able to request the sender's information from them, as any person sending the donation is completely anonymous by design.
You can learn more about it over at !money@slrpnk.net
If the FSFE were to use gnu taller, the taler bank would've probably requested the same information through some other nonstandard channel sooner or later. The traditional electronic money has become like show breed dogs. They are no good without the papers. Especially in europe.
We need to eliminate the banks and the payment gateways from the paymemt process.
If a bank or preferably credit union adopts GNU Taler, they can't realistically expect the receiver of the tokens to know who sent the tokens due go their anonymous nature. A receiver could put an info form before the GNU Taler part, but the sender could just put john doe info there.
It is truly like cash. I know in the US many banks would get weirded out if you try to deposit a large amount if cash and may report it to the IRS, but as long as its reflected in your taxes, then it should be okay.
The only trouble is, that's exactly why they would refuse to adopt GNU Taler.
Some banks in Europe are already adopting it, and credit unions would be much more likely to as well.
Cash.
The non-profits I've donated to usually allow bank transfers and sending cash or checks by mail.
I still have a checkbook