Put "paypalsucks" in your search engine . . .

It (they) are NOT banks (not regulated)

@FearlessFly I have happily used PayPal ever since it was invented, and it IS regulated, just not as a bank. I even have a "2% back on everything" PayPal Mastercard that I use pretty much daily. Never a problem, and they stand squarely behind you if you have a problem with a merchant/merchandise.
P.S. if I put "[anything] sucks" into any search engine, I would not expect facts.......

@AnneWimsey Just putting "IS" in an assertion doesn't confer veracity.
Your anecdote (although good for you) is not data. Even if a large percentage of "payment system" users don't have problems doesn't mean there aren't significant issues/problems.

[money.howstuffworks.com]

If convenience is the (your) metric, things are wonderful -- until they are not.

Why shouldn't/ISN'T it be possible (and widespread) to pay online securely/trustfully/privately/legally like cash ?

@FearlessFly I repeat, Paypal...its entire reason for existing is exactly that!

@AnneWimsey . . . exactly what ?

@FearlessFly paypal exists solely so you can "Pay online securely/trustfully/privately/legally like cash"!

@AnneWimsey It is not private. When I hand $( x ) (legal tender for all debts, public and private) to a merchant and leave, my identity is not known/tracked. You could say that is not important to you, that does not mean it is not important.

@FearlessFly so you think the security cameras every merchant has do not know who you are? (Facial recognition software, plus many cameras are sophisticated enough to read the contents of your wallet if they show when you open it). And if need be, your fingerprints could be lifted from that cash. Plus, did you get the cash from bank or ATM? Again cameras...and in the bank you undoubtedly had to show ID to get that money.

@AnneWimsey Do you think privacy is unimportant ? Hopeless ? (GDPR)

Have you noticed that folks who might say "I have nothing to hide"
are all fully clothed when saying it ?

Are we "frogs in a pot that is headed for boil" ?

@FearlessFly as i posted just above, privacy is pretty hopeless. And yes, i have nothing to hide, have lived my entire life so I would not.

@AnneWimsey Would mind having someone install webcams in your bathroom and bedroom ?

Is all of your medical/legal/financial information available online for all to see ?

@FearlessFly I cannot imagine why anybody would want to... have you had this happen? On the other hand, if I could make money off of it, maybe I would DIY, lol!
And i imagine most all of my extensive medical & financial info is here & there in bits & pieces, like everybody else's. What difference does it make? It is Very difficult to scam an honest person who never would believe in something "too good to be true"

@AnneWimsey "here & there in bits & pieces" -- I'm fairly acquainted with HIPAA (20 years in electronic health care data as a Software Developer). A 'covered entity' wouldn't fare well if all the stored data were available to all online.

[hhs.gov]

Despite the profit benefits of tech companies' data collection/use/abuse, widespread attitudes about data privacy are not so 'laissez faire' as you seem to imply.

[akamai.com]

[ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

[gilc.nl]

@FearlessFly I frankly do not give a damn, my dear. because it is totally out of my control, yours too

@AnneWimsey . . . part of the solution, or part of the problem

@FearlessFly "solution"?????????

@AnneWimsey I would say a lot more needed, these are a start

[oag.ca.gov]
[gdpr.eu]
[hhs.gov]

@FearlessFly you do realize that, like HIPPA, many of these will cause unnecessary burdens for lots of people? When I call my health plan, or bank or Amazon, , I want help & answers, not to play "20 questions"!

@AnneWimsey Privacy versus convenience, we apparently are on opposite sides.

. . . freedom isn't free

@FearlessFly I feel perfectly free...live my life as an open book, no worries, as the Aussies say.....what exactly is the absolute worst that could happen to me?

@AnneWimsey A single person seeing a license plate is a witness.
Following a person around and recording their movements is stalking.
Tracking everyone's movements all the time is a surveillance state.

Scale matters.

. . . hopeless ?

[eff.org]

@FearlessFly yes, but tracking & keeping records is a huge time-suck, and for what, exactly?

@AnneWimsey Each is an escalation -- that last 'tracking' reference is what "BigData" does. The 'purpose' is to turn you/your data into BigProfit. Maine is fighting against that.

Also :

[forbes.com]

@FearlessFly they cannot make a profit unless you send money. I only buy stuff I actually need...you? I do not ytink I ever spent money on stuff in pop-up ads online. Okay, maybe once or twice i got sucked into a Swaroski Crystal store.....
And may I just say I Really appreciate your tone, demeanor, and stick-to-the subject-ness during this exchange! A model of civility & informational discourse even though we clearly have opposing views! Thank You!

@AnneWimsey "they cannot make a profit unless you send money"

Googles' revenue is 75% from ADVERTISING ! Why ? YOU are not the customer, you are the PRODUCT. That is what BigData is about, making money (billions) from the collection of data.

This is the 'Information Age", info is the 'coin-of-the-realm'. Those that have (more and more of) it prosper more than those who don't.

Do you think Amazon/FB/TikTok/BigTech are collecting the data for 'giggles' ?

@AnneWimsey . . . btw, my 'tone' is like this on all my comments/replies (check profile). Those that have blocked me (8-10 ? ) "Can't Handle The Truth"

@FearlessFly I understand they as well as everybody else sells & lives by selling advertising...your local newspaper cannot exist without it, and the NFL either. They all collect data so they can point out to potential advertisers how well their $$ will be spent. i have absolutely no problem with this unless they could somehow force someone to buy things....

@AnneWimsey . . . force ? no -- I think entice is putting mildly. They know more about you than you do -- 'they' don't forget. They know what/when you are likely to want/need.

You might think you are searching for and getting the 'best' deal.
(part of) The reason why that data is SO valuable :

(way) More likely, (because of the data) the ads and prices you are seeing and that are being presented is based on what is known that you are willing and capable of paying based on all the data about you.

. . . btw, I use (privacy based) Startpage (search-engine), I use and advocate ad-blocking and javascript-blocking browser extensions ! (as well as several other useful browser extensions)

@FearlessFly I do search for the best price on an item, After i check my own home & maybe a few yard sales. And I consider the info they gather goes for Naught most times. Case in point, my ONE resin-wicker porch chair, about 7 or 8 years old, is badly failing, and this is a good time to buy porch furniture so they can make room for skis. So, I look around & after a few hours I find a nice one for a nice price + free shipping. It will be here Monday. So what shows up all over on every site I visit for the next few weeks? Resin porch chairs. I needed One I got One. Are they using those advertising dollars & info wisely? Productively? I don't think so....

@AnneWimsey 'it doesn't affect me, so . . .'

. . . "when they came for the Jews, I didn't complain because . . . "
. . . "when they came for . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "
.
.
.
.

@FearlessFly I have lived with that advice since I was 12....sorry, doesn't apply to retail!

@AnneWimsey . . . IMO, principles apply everywhere . . . ymmv

@FearlessFly I would appreciate your assessment of their "power" in view of my chair-buying "fallout", which is completely representative of Every online purchase. I did pose several questions.......

@AnneWimsey I don't doubt that advertisers don't expect every ad to succeed with everyone it reaches. I also don't doubt that they have evidence that they ultimately have some success given the money spent creating/distributing them.

Given confirmation bias (and others), individuals might not be the best one to know if/when advertising has "affected" their 'decisions'.

How do you tell when a salesperson is lying ? Their lips are moving !

I judiciously avoid the word "hate", just not when it comes to ads.