Obama campaign to use Square for fundraising

In a coup for the San Francisco startup, which shares space with The Chronicle at Fifth and Mission, Obama for America will let staff members and volunteers accept donations through its mobile credit-card reader.

"Whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, running for president or local assembly, Square makes it easier than ever for candidates, organizations and volunteers to fundraise for their cause," a company spokeswoman said via e-mail.

Critics who supported a boycott of Twitter on Saturday said the company should not bow to regimes that want to censor what has become a conduit for free speech and dissident voices even in countries ruled by oppressive regimes.

The Bangkok Post quoted a critic, Sombat Boonngamanong, "a self-described red shirt supporter" who said censorship in the case of human rights violations or criminal activity was appropriate, but that it was a "dangerous and sensitive issue to censor political views."

According to the Global Times: