Sam Sugar from SugarBank has posted an articulate, detailed, illuminating, and apparently heartfelt open letter to Google, imploring it to enable online adult transactions with its upcoming payment service. According to Sugar, eBay has withdrawn PayPal from the adult industry, forcing purveyors to use expensive and unsatisfactory alternative merchant solutions. Arguing that adult content is a high-demand niche (who would argue?), Sugar contends that Google is already in the porn business by dint of servicing adult-oriented search queries. "Taking adult transactions will give Google the 'adult edge' that VHS used to overtake Betamax. PayPal's neglect is Google payment's opportunity."

Google is not completely agnostic about adult material; it does not allow pornographic ads in AdWords, or adult sites to participate in AdSense. But in those cases Google is protecting advertisers who don't wish to be associated with adult content. Google certainly does not filter its Web, Images, or Froogle (except by user option).