Visa and Mastercard have reportedly suspended card payments for ads on Pornhub and its parent company MindGeek after controversy over whether the adult video websites could facilitate child pornography.
CNBC reports that Visa and Mastercard said this week card payments for ads on Pornhub and its parent company MindGeek would be suspended after a lawsuit sparked controversy over whether the payment giants could allow child porn on their platform.
A federal judge in California recently rejected Visa’s request to dismiss a lawsuit by a woman who accused the payment processor of facilitating the distribution of child pornography on Pornhub and other websites owned by MindGeek. Visa CEO and chairman Al Kelly said in a statement that the company strongly condemns sex trafficking and is confident in its position.
“Visa condemns sex trafficking, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children,” Kelly said. “It is illegal and Visa does not allow the use of our network for illegal activities. Our rules explicitly and unequivocally prohibit the use of our products to pay for content that depicts non-consensual sexual behavior or sexual abuse of children. We are vigilant in our efforts to discourage this and other illegal activities on our network.”
Kelly stated that the decision created uncertainty about the role of TrafficJunky, MindGeek’s advertising arm, and as a result, the company will suspend its Visa underwriting privileges. Visa cards cannot purchase ads on MindGeek affiliated sites.
“It is Visa’s policy to follow the law of every country in which we do business. We make no moral judgments about legal purchases made by consumers, and we respect the legitimate role of legislators to make decisions about what is legal and what is not,” Kelly said. “Visa can only be used on MindGeek studio sites featuring adult professional actors in legal adult entertainment.”
Mastercard told CNBC it is instructing financial institutions to suspend acceptance of its products with TrafficJunky after the court’s ruling. “New facts from last week’s court ruling made us aware of advertising revenue outside our view that appears to provide Pornhub with indirect funding,” a statement from Mastercard said. “This move will further strengthen our decision of December 2020 to end the use of our products on that site.”
Read more at CNBC here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News on issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan