Visa suspends card payments for ad purchases on PornHub and MindGeek amid controversy

Visa is suspending card funds for promoting on Pornhub and its guardian firm MindGeek after a lawsuit stoked the controversy that the funds big could possibly be facilitating baby pornography.

A federal decide in California on Friday denied Visa’s movement to dismiss a lawsuit by a girl who accuses the fee processor of knowingly facilitating the distribution of kid pornography on Pornhub and different websites operated by guardian firm MindGeek.

Visa CEO and Chairman Al Kelly mentioned in an announcement Thursday that he strongly disagrees with this court docket and is assured in his place. 

“Visa condemns intercourse trafficking, sexual exploitation, and baby sexual abuse,” Kelly mentioned. “It’s unlawful, and Visa doesn’t allow using our community for criminal activity. Our guidelines explicitly and unequivocally prohibit using our merchandise to pay for content material that depicts nonconsensual sexual habits or baby sexual abuse. We’re vigilant in our efforts to discourage this, and different criminal activity on our community.”

Kelly mentioned the court docket determination created uncertainty in regards to the position of TrafficJunky, MindGeek’s promoting arm, and accordingly, the corporate will droop its Visa acceptance privileges till additional discover. Throughout this suspension, Visa playing cards will be unable for use to buy promoting on any websites, together with Pornhub or different MindGeek affiliated websites, Kelly mentioned.

“It’s Visa’s coverage to observe the regulation of each nation during which we do enterprise. We don’t make ethical judgments on authorized purchases made by shoppers, and we respect the rightful position of lawmakers to make choices about what’s authorized and what’s not,” Kelly mentioned. “Visa can be utilized solely at MindGeek studio websites that function grownup skilled actors in authorized grownup leisure.”

The girl is suing Visa and MindGeek over a sexually specific video her boyfriend filmed of her when she was 13. U.S. District Choose Cormac Carney in California mentioned that Visa made the choice to proceed to acknowledge MindGeek as a service provider, regardless of its alleged information that MindGeek monetized baby porn.

The CEO mentioned Visa had already suspended websites that contained user-generated content material in December 2020 and acceptance on these websites has not been reinstated. 

Hedge fund supervisor Invoice Ackman not too long ago spoke out in regards to the controversy, calling on Visa to stress Pornhub to take away baby pornography from its website.