[LINK] Consumer computer security

[Alan L Tyree]

On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 08:10:10 +1100
Howard Lowndes <lannet at lannet.com.au> wrote:

> 
> 
> Stilgherrian wrote:
> > On 24/1/07 1:38 AM, "stephen at melbpc.org.au" <stephen at melbpc.org.au>
> > wrote:
> >> *** Coming soon: Safe payment requirements for new sellers ***
> >>    
> >> 23 January 2007 | 10:29AM EST
> >>
> >> Coming soon we will require sellers who register after 17 January
> >> 2007 to offer at least one preferred safe payment method of either
> >> PayPal or merchant credit card facilities, in their listings.
> >> [snip]
> > 
> > And since eBay owns PayPal, and since you can't get merchant
> > facilities from a bank without a written business plan and a whole
> > bunch of paperwork that a start-up home-based business will find
> > difficult to put together -- and even more so if you just want to
> > flog off a few un-needed items from the shed! -- this will further
> > entrench eBay's "vertical integration" of the market.
> 
> Add to that the requirement to lodge a $250,000 surety - at least,
> that was what the Comm Bank wanted.
> 
> > 
> > And it's all done in the name of "safe payment". Sweet.
> > 
> > Moreover, since PayPal isn't a bank, presumably you have far less
> > consumer protection that when dealing with a bank. And if there's a
> > dispute, who do you go to...? Last time I ran something on eBay,  I

You are right about less consumer protection, not because PayPal isn't
a bank, but because it does not subscribe to the voluntary EFT Code of
Conduct. Question 69 in the ASIC discussion paper is:

69. What steps could/should be taken to broaden EFT Code membership?

It would be helpful if people like you and others on this list would
make a submission to ASIC to the effect that the Code should be made
mandatory for all providers offering payment services to the public.

This is a very real issue, since only the banks, building societies and
credit unions have subscribed to the Code. They were essentially forced
to do so - at the time when the Code was originally developed, they
were the only payment providers and they were given the "Godfather
option": voluntary subscription was the "offer they could not refuse"
since the alternative was legislation (close enough to death as far as
they were concerned!).

Alan

> > discovered that my payments were being run through... where was it?
> > Oh yes, eBay International AG in Switzerland.




> > 
> > Chase that one, folks!
> > 
> > Stil
> > 
> > 
> 
> -- 
> Howard.
> LANNet Computing Associates - Your Linux people
> <http://lannetlinux.com> When you want a computer system that works,
> just choose Linux; When you want a computer system that works, just,
> choose Microsoft. --
> Flatter government, not fatter government; abolish the Australian
> states.
> 
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-- 
Alan L Tyree                    http://www2.austlii.edu.au/~alan
Tel: +61 2 4782 2670            Mobile: +61 427 486 206
Fax: +61 2 4782 7092            FWD: 615662