Etsy: Don’t Violate Our Privacy Rights

Etsy: Don’t Violate Our Privacy Rights

Started
September 9, 2022
Signatures: 11,510Next Goal: 15,000
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Why this petition matters

Late in August, Etsy rolled out a requirement that US-based sellers use a third party service, Plaid, to verify our bank accounts. Etsy claims this is a step they’re taking to comply with anti-money laundering regulations.

 

By default Plaid asks users for their online banking usernames and passwords, which is not safe, and may even violate the terms of service for many users’ online banking platforms.

Indie Sellers Guild members have located an option to give Plaid their bank account and routing number to verify, rather than their account password. This option is generally considered safer and in accordance with online privacy standards. But, concerningly, this option is buried away, difficult for many users to find and select.

 

Whichever way users choose to verify their bank accounts, all users are required to agree to Plaid’s privacy policy in order to continue receiving the money that Etsy owes them. Plaid’s privacy policy explains that they may collect information like:

“financial account name and number, balance, and transaction history”
“your Social Security number, date of birth, phone number, email address, security questions and answers”
“identifiers and electronic network activity information about [the device you use to connect to Plaid], including internet protocol (IP) address, timezone setting and location, device location, hardware model, operating system, which features within our services you access, browser data, and other technical information about the device.”
Source: Plaid’s end user privacy policy

Plaid has been embroiled in class action lawsuits over alleged user privacy rights violations. The claims against them include things like creating look-alike bank login pages in order to trick users into entering private information. We’re not okay with giving this sketchy company access to our private financial data!

We DEMAND in no uncertain terms that Etsy reverse this train wreck of a policy. Users from other countries report that Etsy gives them the ability to verify their accounts manually, without use of Plaid. Etsy needs to offer a safe, trustworthy, non-Plaid option to US-based sellers too!

It’s one thing to freely choose to use a service like Plaid, to consider the security risk and decide that it’s worth it for you. It’s another thing entirely to be forced to give up our privacy rights in order to keep getting paid.

Some sellers have yet to receive a notification about this policy. Others are left with days to decide whether our Etsy shops are worth being forced to give up our rights to privacy.

Sign the petition to tell Etsy to stop playing fast and loose with our sensitive banking information!
That’s #SketchyEtsy!

Click here for more info on this project.

This petition is sponsored by the Indie Sellers Guild, a grassroots nonprofit by online sellers for online sellers. Our hard work makes Big Tech Rich! Join us as we fight for a seat at the table.

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Signatures: 11,510Next Goal: 15,000
Support now
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