Anonymous launches round two of Paypal protests

HACKTIVIST GROUP Anonymous is launching a second round of protests against online payment service Paypal, which could see thousands of people closing their Paypal accounts.

Anonymous member and spokesperson Sabu told some 25,000 supporters on his Twitter page, "If you haven't already - close out your paypal accounts. Transfer your money to a credit union. Small steps we need to take for big picture."

Another tweet that is making the rounds on Twitter is, "Today is #OpPayPal round two. Close out your paypal accounts. Inform your family//peers. Email companies that rely on PP to use alts. RT!"

For those who want to continue making online payments without using Paypal, Sabu suggested using an "anonymous prepaid visa card", which can bought from many local shops.

However, users might encounter problems with online payments, as many online retailers use Paypal for everything, even normal credit card purchases. This means that those who do buy a prepaid credit card could be forced to use it through Paypal anyway.

In response to this concern Sabu said, "Might have to start emailing companies to use alternative payment systems. If enough people communicate this point: win."

There are no recent tweets about Paypal on the Anonymous Twitter page, but it's likely only a matter of time before the news starts appearing on multiple accounts associated with the group.

This latest round of Paypal protests appears to be in response to Paypal's decision to freeze donations to the independent social networking project Diaspora. Paypal refused Diaspora's appeal and has failed to provide an explanation of what it alleges Diaspora did wrong. It can hold Diaspora's money, which is around $45,000, for up to six months. Diaspora is now using Stripe in place of Paypal. µ