One of Pornhub's greatest sources of revenue has been cut off via Visa and Mastercard.
In 2020, Credit card giants Visa and Mastercard previously cut off anyone purchasing videos on Pornhub's parent company MindGeek. Now, they have cut off even further ways for people to use their cards when it comes to sexual exploitation, which includes any advertising on their websites.
"Today, we celebrate alongside all of the brave survivors who've spoken out against this corporation of exploitation," says Exodus Cry on Instagram. "Their willingness to speak truth, despite the backlash and attacks, has brought unprecedented breakthrough in the global fight against exploitative porn. Together we are winning this fight!"
Visa's Chairman and CEO Alfred F. Kelly, Jr. posted a statement online Thursday.
"Let me be clear: Visa condemns sex trafficking, sexual exploitation, and child sexual abuse. It is illegal, and Visa does not permit the use of our network for illegal activity," says Kelly. "With respect to MindGeek specifically, we suspended sites that contained user-generated content in December 2020 and acceptance on those sites has not been reinstated."
On Thursday, a judge refused to remove Visa from a lawsuit filed against MindGeek by a victim claiming to have been featured in sexually explicit porn videos as a minor.
"Accordingly, we will suspend TrafficJunky's Visa acceptance privileges based on the court's decision until further notice. During this suspension, Visa cards will not be able to be used to purchase advertising on any sites including Pornhub or other MindGeek affiliated sites."
Mastercard also made a statement after the courts ruling.
"We are reminding these same institutions of their obligations to ensure any adult content website they support must adhere to our standards requiring controls to monitor, block and remove unlawful content from being posted," the statement says. "These standards also demand confirmation of age and consent from anyone in content published on these sites."
In February of 2021, Pornhub was also reviewed by the Canadian ethics committee.
Just one month later in March, over 70 Canadian Senators and MPs from all eight political parties sent a letter to the RCMP calling for a full investigation into MindGeek/Pornhub and the online exploitation of women and children.
On June 21, 2022, The head of Pornhub's parent company and its chief operating officer have resigned from MindGeek's day-to-day operations after more than a decade. The company, which has legal headquarters in Luxembourg and its main office in Montreal, says chief executive Feras Antoon and COO David Tassillo will remain shareholders
Fri, Apr 19, 6:30 PM
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