Upgrade Storagepaying storage without Google
Dear all,
I trust zotero but I don't trust Google and will not enter any information, let alone credit card info, with Google.
Is there another way of billing and payment for extra storage?
Many thanks!
I trust zotero but I don't trust Google and will not enter any information, let alone credit card info, with Google.
Is there another way of billing and payment for extra storage?
Many thanks!
This discussion has been closed.
https://www.zotero.org/settings/storage
What specifically is your issue with google?
Using a third party service like paypal or google is pretty much the only viable way for very small companies to bill safely over the internet.
I understand privacy concerns with google - you could wipe your session cookies etc. after paying and/or do the whole transaction in privacy mode - but there are probably few places safer for your credit card info.
And the forums are equipped with Google Analytics.
Plus, I do have concern about Google's privacy, and it's not limited to late-expiring cookies, but mainly to the face I don't know what they're doing with all the data I could give them if I wished, through their services. They are a black box, and as a scientist, I'm wary of blackboxes, and thus give Google as few information as possible.
I boycotted and preferred to pirate a cheap shareware that could only be paid through Google, until they accepted PayPal.
Zotero has never listed PayPal as an option-- I only know that they have on occasion accepted payment via PayPal when users have been unable to use Google Checkout.
As adamsmith recommends above, you will need to write to the contact email on the payments page to find out if PayPal can be arranged in your case, but my sense is that that option has only been offered for people who cannot use Google Checkout for technical reasons, such as it not being offered in their country.
And I figure that they picked google checkout because PayPal has absolutely despicable terms of service (ever read their fine-print?) and they preferred only dealing with one service.
And again, about privacy - that's what privacy mode is for. As long as you disassociate your regular surfing from your use of google checkout, google does not actually learn much about you that way (they learn more by you using this forum, for example...).
(and what ajlyon says).
Giving sensitive info to a big black box is worse when there are all reasons to think it will be aggregated with other sensitive info and communications and searches. Just common cautiousness here. For example, I wouldnt trust RIM's email servers fir my needs. Too much centralizing is bad.
I would only use PayPal to avoid G, not for any geographic restriction. So far, I have my own WebDAV space, but it's always good to know.
I would not use Zotero storage for that reason, if that was an option here at all. By the way, privacy mode won't help much, since one needs to enter credit card information with full name and address, which google can easily connect to other info. Oh well.