Visa and Mastercard reportedly suspended card payments for ads on Pornhub and its parent company, MindGeek, after a dispute over whether adult video websites could host child pornography.
CNBC reported that Visa and Mastercard will be suspended this week after card payments for ads on Pornhub and its parent company MindGeek sparked controversy over whether the payment giants would allow child pornography on their platforms.
A federal judge in California recently rejected Visa’s request to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a woman who accused the payment system of facilitating the distribution of child pornography on Pornhub and other pornographic 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 child sexual abuse,” Kelly said. “This is illegal and Visa does not allow our network to be used for illegal activities. Our policies expressly and expressly prohibit the use of our products to pay for content that depicts objectionable sexual behavior or child sexual exploitation. We are vigilant in our efforts to prevent this and other illegal activities on our network.”
Kelly said the decision creates uncertainty about the role of MindGeek’s advertising arm, TrafficJunky, and that as a result, the company will suspend Visa admission privileges. Visa cards cannot purchase ads on MindGeek affiliated sites.
“Visa’s policy is to comply with the laws of each country in which we do business. “We do not make moral judgments about legitimate purchases made by consumers, and we respect the legitimate role of legislators in deciding what is legal and what is not,” Kelly said. “Visa can only be used on MindGeek studio sites that feature adult professional actors in legal adult entertainment.”
Mastercard told CNBC it has ordered financial institutions to suspend their acceptance of TrafficJunky products following the court order. “New facts from last week’s court ruling have brought to our attention advertising revenues that appear to indirectly fund Pornhub,” Mastercard said in a statement. Said. “This step will further strengthen our decision to discontinue our products on this site in December 2020.”
Read more about CNBC here.
Source: Breitbart
