Source: freddy dendoktoor has released this “New Year, Numbers, 3D, 2026” CC0 Public Domain
OTB relies on its readers to support it. Please consider helping by becoming a monthly contributor through Patreon or making a one-time contribution via PayPal. Thanks for your consideration.
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science and former College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog).
Follow Steven on Twitter and/or BlueSky.
Over a year ago, a Youtuber known as MegaLag did an expose of how the coupon sharing extension called Honey, owned by PayPal, committed fraud on users at both ends of its functions, and stole affiliate commissions to boot.
Other people on Youtube who had promoted Honey, and taken sponsorship money from it, apologized for doing so and urged their viewers to remove it from their browsers.
This dealt a blow to Honey, but not a fatal one. They’re still up there, and doing even worse things now. If that wasn’t bad enough, there are now imitators of Honey’s business model.
I keep wondering how any of this is legal. According to the MegaLag video on the second link, largely because affiliate networks benefit from increased online shopping traffic… I still wonder how this is legal, and why don’t governments the world over go after this kind of predatory behavior.
********************@
Over a year ago, a Youtuber known as MegaLag did an expose of how the coupon sharing extension called Honey, owned by PayPal, committed fraud on users at both ends of its functions, and stole affiliate commissions to boot.
Other people on Youtube who had promoted Honey, and taken sponsorship money from it, apologized for doing so and urged their viewers to remove it from their browsers.
This dealt a blow to Honey, but not a fatal one. They’re still up there, and doing even worse things now. If that wasn’t bad enough, there are now imitators of Honey’s business model.
I keep wondering how any of this is legal. According to the MegaLag video on the second link, largely because affiliate networks benefit from increased online shopping traffic… I still wonder how this is legal, and why don’t governments the world over go after this kind of predatory behavior.