Most people who follow me saw the news yesterday where IndieGoGo removed not only an active campaign — but one that had completed on its site more than two weeks ago. It appears to be a breach of contract at this point because funds were promises (as that’s how IndieGoGo works), but we’ll see what happens.
I’ve got a couple of emails into IGG as a journalist — and a concerned person with a campaign. IndieGoGo simply referred me to the terms of service which state they can take down a project for any time for any reason and it’s their policy not to communicate a reason.
If that’s the terms of service, then they’re a very shady group to utilize such a policy. How can you operate as a business by taking down campaigns that make 6-figures and giving no reason why? Of the more than thousand backers of the campaign… I’d be leery to ever use the site just because of that which hurts other projects too. Backing something and having IGG hold money for a month only to refund for no reason is very angering and makes it hard to trust the site for any project.
Chuck Dixon, the writer of AHQ said one thing: “It won’t stop us”. Which is good. We can’t give up, can’t abandon the fight just because of some big tech clowns. This appears to be discrimination based on politics because of their lack of any sort of given reason about the project, and that is something at its core which is anti-American and anti-free speech.
The SJWs have a plan. It’s to do 3 things: Destroy, deplatform, divide. That’s their strategy at all times. I call it 3D Warfare. They’re going to come after all of us and this is just a test run to see what happens with it.
We’ve seen that so far their attacks have been head on, but we’re going to have more behind the scenes attacks like this. YouTube. Twitter. Crowdfunds. They’re not safe. If any of us get too big, we’re at risk on these platforms controlled by them.
I’m especially afraid because I have a project published through the same company as AHQ. The Ember War is up now, and it’s raised $19,000 — money I really need to pay for the art of the book. If IGG decides I’m evil over association, I could be very screwed in terms of this book that’s half done. I need to make this happen and can’t afford to take the short term hit like some of the bigger guys. And I believe because of my association only that my project is probably the most AT RISK of any on the site.
You can help support the Ember War and Arkhaven’s right to make comics here (for now). Thank you everyone. We need to stand together. The attacks might get worse on all of us but our resolve is what’s going to win this in the long run.
I don’t know the details of the IndieGoGo case, but I always think it’s hilarious when people who advocate for the right of businesses to discriminate against minorities (I’m not talking about you in particular, Jon, just many people on the right) then turn around and act all horrified about possible discrimination against the very people who advocated for discrimination in the first place.
The hypocrisy, it burns.
Discrimination is: You aren’t welcome here.
Discrimination isn’t: Welcome! Your project is allowed. You and your friends are welcome to use our services. You’re safe to spend over a month raising money and advertising our your project and our website.
Well done raising so much money for your project, we’ll fulfill our obligation. Just kidding. Get out.
@Jason —
“Discrimination isn’t:”
Oh, I see. So was Jon lying, or simply wrong, when he said “IndieGoGo Makes Move Appearing To Discriminate Against Right”?
In fact, as Vox himself has stated on his blog, his campaign got cancelled because of “unusual activity”, which implies that there may have been something odd going on with the payments he was receiving. Others have stated elseweb (I have no independent confirmation) that there were also unusual patterns in his previous campaigns.
IOW — right now this seems to have been a financial/legal decision by IndieGoGo, not a political one. But in any case, since the TOS very clearly states that they can cancel a campaign at any time for any reason, there is no foundation for complaint here. If you don’t like the TOS, then don’t do business with them.
Contaruius,
If you go by the logic of the TOS, then no one will do any business and everything grinds to a halt.
The problem is that companies are abusing their TOS and the courts and govt will stop this trend cold.
Indegogo’s decision was political. How else do you explain the coincidence of the Bleeding cool extended interview being pulled with all the abject apologies of a Maoist self criticism session at the same time that the ALT Q funding was refunded to all the backers?
The unusual activity is not credible. It smacks like a lame excuse of someone hacking into the companies secured websites (possible but why that particular campaign?)
To reiterate, too many companies are abusing their TOS as a form of informational warfare.
In any case, this is going to court. But the politicians also have to intervene and bitchslap the companies. They need to be reminded that they’re private entities that exist thanks to public laws that regulate their existence and behaviour.
@Xavier —
“If you go by the logic of the TOS, then no one will do any business and everything grinds to a halt.”
That is patently untrue, since IndieGoGo **is** doing business with many, many people.
Remember the free market? Yeah, people have the right to do their business elsewhere if they don’t like IndieGoGo’s TOS.
“The problem is that companies are abusing their TOS and the courts and govt will stop this trend cold.”
Oh, so you don’t believe in the free market?
“Indegogo’s decision was political.”
Says the man with no evidence whatsoever.
“How else do you explain the coincidence of the Bleeding cool extended interview being pulled with all the abject apologies of a Maoist self criticism session at the same time that the ALT Q funding was refunded to all the backers?”
I don’t need to explain it.
“The unusual activity is not credible.”
Why not? As I’ve already pointed out, previous campaigns associated with Vox, on the old Freestartr platform, were also known to have shown “unusual activity”.
“It smacks like a lame excuse of someone hacking into the companies secured websites”
LOL. Yeah, that’s often the first excuse of someone caught doing something shady on the net — ohhhh noooooes, my account was hacked! 😉
“In any case, this is going to court.”
I doubt it, but that would be interesting.
“But the politicians also have to intervene and bitchslap the companies. They need to be reminded that they’re private entities that exist thanks to public laws that regulate their existence and behaviour.”
Wow, I’m really surprised to see a conservative advocating for MORE government regulation.
Contrarius,
I’m not a libertarian. The free market isn’t totally free and it works best when it’s regulated. The less laws the better but when there’s been an abuse then the politicians have to step in and pass legislation that corrects..
Further, it’s increasingly clear that you can’t go elsewhere when you’re progressively marginalized and ultimately expelled from economic transactions. Whatever you think of Robert Spenser of Jihad watch or David Horowitz the fact that Mastercard and Visa cut them off at the behest of Southern poverty is deeply disturbing.
And that’s the ultimate goal to literally starve wrong thinking people without the gulags.
Finally there are strong indications that the dispute will go to court. There’s now a new party possibly in play. Some guy named Jason Youngbluth claims he convinced Indegogo to kill the funding. In any case, the entire dispute will have to resolved given the issues and claims by both sides.
xavier
@Xavier —
“I’m not a libertarian.”
So what? It is not only Libertarians who argue against government regulation. In fact, Trump has been extremely active in dumping regulations of all sort. So I’m still taken aback at your sudden support for MORE regulation.
Could it be that you simply want to regulate business activities that might inconvenience you and/or your buddies in particular?
“when there’s been an abuse”
There has been no abuse in this case. IndieGoGo’s TOS are very clearly spelled out. If you don’t like them, then take your business elsewhere.
“Further, it’s increasingly clear that you can’t go elsewhere when you’re progressively marginalized and ultimately expelled from economic transactions.”
Ohhhh. You mean like rightwingers want the ability to do with various minorities that they don’t approve of?
“Finally there are strong indications that the dispute will go to court.”
Again — I doubt it, but it will be interesting to see if it does happen.
yeah I know and everybody on the left that up thanks that’s a good idea and then turns around and we have to Conservatives this is a private business yes pretty rich isn’t it yeah.
Could you translate your response into English, or at least re-insert the words that appear to be missing from your sentence? As it stands, your comment does not make any sense.
Thanks in advance!