You Need to Fight This Censorship

Major credit card companies like Mastercard and Visa are effectively censoring adult content by enforcing strict policies on payment processing. Following allegations of illegal content, they mandate pre-approval of material and rigid age and identity verification, forcing platforms to remove content to maintain payment services — which critics argue is financial censorship.

Key Aspects of the Censorship

• Mandated Content Policies: Mastercard instituted rules requiring the pre-approval of all adult content before publication, forcing platforms to moderate strictly, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
• "High-Risk" Classification: Visa and Mastercard often classify adult services as "high risk," enabling them to dictate content standards to avoid legal liability.
• Impact on Platforms: Payment processors have forced significant content purges on sites like Pornhub and, more recently, prompted Steam and itch.io to remove thousands of adult games.
• Industry Backlash: The crackdown has faced opposition, with critics arguing that this financial pressure allows private companies to restrict legal sexual expression.

Key Tactics to Fight This Censorship

• Organize Petitions and Campaigns: Supporters are creating petitions to pressure payment processors directly to end restrictions on legal adult content.
• Direct Contact with Financial Institutions: Engage in phone or email campaigns to pressure Mastercard directly at 1-800-627-8372 and Visa at 1-800-847-2911.
• Support Legal Challenges: Advocacy for legal action and class-action lawsuits against payment processors for their anti-competitive practices, as suggested in discussions across the community.
• Support Alternative Payments: Encourage platforms to adopt alternative, decentralized, or crypto-based payment solutions that are less susceptible to banking censorship.
• Support Impacted Creators: Raise awareness about how these policies affect marginalized creators, including those in the LGBTQ+ community, who are being disproportionately affected.