Visa and Mastercard have reportedly suspended card payments for advertising on Pornhub and its parent company MindGeek following controversy over whether the adult video websites could be facilitating child pornography.
CNBC reports that Visa and Mastercard said this week that card payments for advertising on Pornhub and its parent company MindGeek would be suspended after a lawsuit caused controversy over whether the payments giants could be allowing child pornography on their platform.
A federal judge in California recently denied Visa’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit by a woman who accused the payment processor of facilitating the distribution of child pornography on Pornhub and other MindGeek-owned websites. 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. “It is illegal, and Visa does not permit the use of our network for illegal activity. Our rules explicitly and unequivocally prohibit the use of our products to pay for content that depicts nonconsensual sexual behavior or child sexual abuse. We are vigilant in our efforts to deter this, and other illegal activity 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 acceptance privileges. Visa cards will not be able to purchase advertising on any sites affiliated with MindGeek.
“It is Visa’s policy to follow the law of every country in which we do business. We do not make moral judgments on legal purchases made by consumers, and we respect the rightful role of lawmakers to make decisions about what is legal and what is not,” Kelly said. “Visa can be used only at MindGeek studio sites that feature adult professional actors in legal adult entertainment.”
Mastercard told CNBC that it is directing financial institutions to suspend acceptance of its products at TrafficJunky following the court ruling. “New facts from last week’s court ruling made us aware of advertising revenue outside of our view that appears to provide Pornhub with indirect funding,” a statement from Mastercard said. “This step will further enforce our December 2020 decision to terminate the use of our products on that site.”
Read more at CNBC here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan