MastaCard may ban porn sites, users could turn to cryptocurrency

A group of international campaigners has called on major credit card companies to stop processing payments to porn sites. If this happens, it could usher in an influx of new cryptocurrency adopters.

The group said their campaign aims to tackle sexual exploitation. According to the letter signed by several campaign groups and campaigners, the porn sites encourage racism, incest, and sexual violence, with many streamed contents containing sex trafficking and child sexual abuse.

MasterCard said it is investigating the claim

In response to the letter, Pornhub, a leading porn site, said: “the letter [was] not only factually wrong but also intentionally misleading.“

But MasterCard has responded and said it’s currently investigating the claims made in the letter. The card company revealed it will terminate its relationship with any porn site if it sees enough evidence of illegality by a cardholder.

The letter was delivered to 10 main credit card companies, including American Express, MasterCard, and Visa. Signatories on the letter are from campaigners representing different countries, including Australia, Uganda, India, the US, and the UK.

The signatories also include child and women rights advocacy groups as well as the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE).

They all agreed that credit cards should suspend their services to the streaming of contents on pornographic sites.

Impossible to verify consent on the porn sites

The letter claimed it’s impossible to verify or judge consent on videos on these sites as well as live webcam videos. As a result, these pornography sites are constant targets for child abusers, sex traffickers, and others who share completely nonconsensual videos.

According to the director of NCOSE, Haley McNamara, the organization has received a series of outcry about the ills of porn sharing websites in several ways within the past few months. As a result, the organization is demanding that financial institutions and card payment platforms critically analyze their supportive role in the porn industry.

Child abuse searches has increased

Earlier this month, India Child Protection Fund (ICPF) published a report on child abuse on porn sites. The organization pointed out that the number of child abuse searches on porn sites in India has increased, especially during the COVID-19 lockdown. The organization, therefore, called on the financial bodies and credit card companies to scrutinize its relationship with these pornography sites.

If the card companies decide to suspend their services to these sites, consumers of such content may turn to cryptocurrency as a payment alternative.