Collective Shout: Difference between revisions

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Collective Shout is an Australian activist group founded in 2009. ~~They identify themselves~~ as "''A grassroots movement challenging the objectification of women and sexualisation of girls in media, advertising and popular culture''".<ref>{{Cite news |title=Collective Shout |url=https://www.collectiveshout.org/faq |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250720102043/https://www.collectiveshout.org/faq |archive-date=2025-07-20 |access-date=2025-08-07 |work=Collective Shout}}</ref>

Collective Shout is an Australian activist group founded in 2009. It identifies itself as "''A grassroots movement challenging the objectification of women and sexualisation of girls in media, advertising and popular culture''".<ref>{{Cite news |title=Collective Shout |url=https://www.collectiveshout.org/faq |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250720102043/https://www.collectiveshout.org/faq |archive-date=2025-07-20 |access-date=2025-08-07 |work=Collective Shout}}</ref>

The activist group became prominent in 2025 after their campaign against payment processors to cause [[Steam]] and [[Itch.io]] to delist hundreds of games, claiming that the games sexualise women.<ref>{{cite web|first=Josh|last=Taylor|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/29/mastercard-visa-backlash-adult-games-removed-online-stores-steam-itchio-ntwnfb|title=Mastercard and Visa face backlash after hundreds of adult games removed from online stores Steam and Itch.io|website=The Guardian|date=2025-07-28}}</ref> This action also affected countries outside of Australia.

Collective Shout has been criticized ~~by some~~ for what many see as a push towards censorship and their usage of ~~unconventional~~ methods.

Collective Shout has been widely criticized across social media for what many see as a push towards censorship and their usage of questionable methods.

==Incidents==

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===Protest against ''Grand Theft Auto V''===

In 2014, the group protested the game ''Grand Theft Auto V'', stating that the game encouraged players to murder women for entertainment.<ref name="RPSCS" /> The game was later banned from Australian stores that year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30328314|title='Sexually violent' GTA 5 banned from Australian stores|website=BBC|date=2014-12-04}}</ref>

In 2014, the group protested the game ''Grand Theft Auto V'', stating that the game encouraged players to murder women for entertainment.<ref name="RPSCS" /> The game was later banned from two Australian department stores that year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30328314|title='Sexually violent' GTA 5 banned from Australian stores|website=BBC|date=2014-12-04}}</ref>

===Pressure campaign against payment processors===

''Main ~~artice~~: [[Valve allows ISPs and payment processors to censor content on Steam|Valve complying with ISPs and payment processors]]''

''Main article: [[Valve allows ISPs and payment processors to censor content on Steam|Valve complying with ISPs and payment processors]]''

In July 2025, Collective Shout launched a public campaign "demanding credit card companies and PayPal block payments" for games on Steam and Itch.io.<ref name=":02">{{Cite news |last=Bita |first=Natasha |date=15 July 2025 |title=Child safety group finds 500 online 'games' role-playing rape and incest |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/education/child-safety-group-finds-500-online-games-roleplaying-rape-and-incest/news-story/b30c59f85ff22934844269cb3beff538 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/koDk8 |archive-date=18 July 2025 |access-date=18 July 2025 |work=The Australian}}</ref><ref name="RPSCS">{{Cite news |last=Evans-Thirlwell |first=Edwin |date=22 July 2025 |title=Anti-porn group who tried to ban GTA 5 claim credit for Steam's sex game crackdown |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/anti-porn-group-who-tried-to-ban-gta-5-claim-credit-for-steams-sex-game-crackdown |access-date=23 July 2025 |work=Rock Paper Shotgun}}</ref>

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Itch.io responded by de-indexing NSFW content on July 24.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://itch.io/updates/update-on-nsfw-content|title=Update on NSFW content|website=Itch.io|date=2025-07-24}}</ref> Itch.io re-indexed free NSFW content on July 31.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://itch.io/t/5149036/reindexing-adult-nsfw-content|title=Reindexing adult NSFW content|website=Itch.io|date=2025-07-31}}</ref>

~~They claim~~ to have lobbied payment processors after sending 3,000 emails to Steam and receiving no response.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Steam at Collective Shout |url=https://www.collectiveshout.org/tags/steam |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250720103220/https://www.collectiveshout.org/tags/steam |archive-date=2025-07-20 |access-date=2025-08-07 |website=Collective Shout}}</ref><ref name="CBCCards">{{Cite news |last=Ore |first=Jonathan |date=31 July 2025 |title=How an anti-porn lobby on payment processors censored thousands of video games |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/steam-itch-takedowns-credit-cards-1.7597563 |access-date=1 August 2025 |work=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]]}}</ref>

The group claims to have lobbied payment processors after sending 3,000 emails to Steam and receiving no response.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Steam at Collective Shout |url=https://www.collectiveshout.org/tags/steam |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250720103220/https://www.collectiveshout.org/tags/steam |archive-date=2025-07-20 |access-date=2025-08-07 |website=Collective Shout}}</ref><ref name="CBCCards">{{Cite news |last=Ore |first=Jonathan |date=31 July 2025 |title=How an anti-porn lobby on payment processors censored thousands of video games |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/steam-itch-takedowns-credit-cards-1.7597563 |access-date=1 August 2025 |work=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]]}}</ref>

Alongside NSFW content ~~they~~ also ~~wanted~~ to ~~get games like~~ 'Detroit Become Human' ~~and 'Mouthwashing' gone~~ from the gaming platforms~~. Mainly~~ for 'violence against women'~~, which in the case of '~~Detroit Become Human~~' was to show how horrible domestic~~ abuse ~~actually is for the people~~ in the ~~situation and to bring awareness to that happening~~ in ~~our society~~.

Alongside NSFW content, the group also expressed desire to remove content such as 'Detroit: Become Human' from gaming platforms, mainly for their depicted 'violence against women' alone.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barbe |first=Rebecca |date=6 Dec 2017 |title=Stop video game Detroit: Become Human, depicting child abuse being sold in Australia |url=https://www.change.org/p/the-hon-christian-porter-mp-stop-video-game-depicting-child-abuse-being-sold-in-australia |url-status=live |access-date=16 Aug 2025 |website=change.org}}</ref>

~~They have also taken down various petitions opposing them~~.

The owner of a journalist website Vice allegedly instructed certain articles related to Collective Shout to be removed from their website, due to "controversial subject matter". The Author of the articles and several of her co-workers resigned soon afterwards in protest. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.notebookcheck.net/After-payment-processors-prompt-removal-of-Steam-games-journalists-investigating-the-censorship-resign.1063259.0.html|title=After payment processors prompt removal of Steam games, journalists investigating the censorship resign|website=notebookcheck.net|date=2025-08-16}}</ref>

~~Despite this~~, ~~they defended~~ the Netflix movie 'Cuties,' ~~claiming it~~ "Empowered children."{{~~Citation needed~~}}

===Critic petitions takedown===

The group has also attempted to taken down various petitions critiquing their actions, claiming them to be defamatory.{{Citation needed}}

===Defense of questionable child acting===

Collective shout has stated the Netflix movie 'Cuties' did not harm children. The child actors were asked to dance sexually on camera. They claimed this "Empowered children."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Over the last week many supporters... - Melinda Tankard Reist {{!}} Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/100044384471209/posts/10158710725359791/ |website=Facebook |publication-date=2020-08-23}}</ref>

==See also==

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 }}
-Collective Shout is an Australian activist group founded in 2009. They identify themselves as "''A grassroots movement challenging the objectification of women and sexualisation of girls in media, advertising and popular culture''".<ref>{{Cite news |title=Collective Shout |url=https://www.collectiveshout.org/faq |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250720102043/https://www.collectiveshout.org/faq |archive-date=2025-07-20 |access-date=2025-08-07 |work=Collective Shout}}</ref>
+Collective Shout is an Australian activist group founded in 2009. It identifies itself as "''A grassroots movement challenging the objectification of women and sexualisation of girls in media, advertising and popular culture''".<ref>{{Cite news |title=Collective Shout |url=https://www.collectiveshout.org/faq |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250720102043/https://www.collectiveshout.org/faq |archive-date=2025-07-20 |access-date=2025-08-07 |work=Collective Shout}}</ref>
 The activist group became prominent in 2025 after their campaign against payment processors to cause [[Steam]] and [[Itch.io]] to delist hundreds of games, claiming that the games sexualise women.<ref>{{cite web|first=Josh|last=Taylor|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/29/mastercard-visa-backlash-adult-games-removed-online-stores-steam-itchio-ntwnfb|title=Mastercard and Visa face backlash after hundreds of adult games removed from online stores Steam and Itch.io|website=The Guardian|date=2025-07-28}}</ref> This action also affected countries outside of Australia.
-Collective Shout has been criticized by some for what many see as a push towards censorship and their usage of unconventional methods.
+Collective Shout has been widely criticized across social media for what many see as a push towards censorship and their usage of questionable methods.
 ==Incidents==
@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 ===Protest against ''Grand Theft Auto V''===
-In 2014, the group protested the game ''Grand Theft Auto V'', stating that the game encouraged players to murder women for entertainment.<ref name="RPSCS" /> The game was later banned from Australian stores that year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30328314|title='Sexually violent' GTA 5 banned from Australian stores|website=BBC|date=2014-12-04}}</ref>
+In 2014, the group protested the game ''Grand Theft Auto V'', stating that the game encouraged players to murder women for entertainment.<ref name="RPSCS" /> The game was later banned from two Australian department stores that year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30328314|title='Sexually violent' GTA 5 banned from Australian stores|website=BBC|date=2014-12-04}}</ref>
 ===Pressure campaign against payment processors===
-''Main artice: [[Valve allows ISPs and payment processors to censor content on Steam|Valve complying with ISPs and payment processors]]''
+''Main article: [[Valve allows ISPs and payment processors to censor content on Steam|Valve complying with ISPs and payment processors]]''
 In July 2025, Collective Shout launched a public campaign "demanding credit card companies and PayPal block payments" for games on Steam and Itch.io.<ref name=":02">{{Cite news |last=Bita |first=Natasha |date=15 July 2025 |title=Child safety group finds 500 online 'games' role-playing rape and incest |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/education/child-safety-group-finds-500-online-games-roleplaying-rape-and-incest/news-story/b30c59f85ff22934844269cb3beff538 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/koDk8 |archive-date=18 July 2025 |access-date=18 July 2025 |work=The Australian}}</ref><ref name="RPSCS">{{Cite news |last=Evans-Thirlwell |first=Edwin |date=22 July 2025 |title=Anti-porn group who tried to ban GTA 5 claim credit for Steam's sex game crackdown |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/anti-porn-group-who-tried-to-ban-gta-5-claim-credit-for-steams-sex-game-crackdown |access-date=23 July 2025 |work=Rock Paper Shotgun}}</ref>
@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 Itch.io responded by de-indexing NSFW content on July 24.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://itch.io/updates/update-on-nsfw-content|title=Update on NSFW content|website=Itch.io|date=2025-07-24}}</ref> Itch.io re-indexed free NSFW content on July 31.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://itch.io/t/5149036/reindexing-adult-nsfw-content|title=Reindexing adult NSFW content|website=Itch.io|date=2025-07-31}}</ref>
-They claim to have lobbied payment processors after sending 3,000 emails to Steam and receiving no response.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Steam at Collective Shout |url=https://www.collectiveshout.org/tags/steam |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250720103220/https://www.collectiveshout.org/tags/steam |archive-date=2025-07-20 |access-date=2025-08-07 |website=Collective Shout}}</ref><ref name="CBCCards">{{Cite news |last=Ore |first=Jonathan |date=31 July 2025 |title=How an anti-porn lobby on payment processors censored thousands of video games |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/steam-itch-takedowns-credit-cards-1.7597563 |access-date=1 August 2025 |work=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]]}}</ref>
+The group claims to have lobbied payment processors after sending 3,000 emails to Steam and receiving no response.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Steam at Collective Shout |url=https://www.collectiveshout.org/tags/steam |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250720103220/https://www.collectiveshout.org/tags/steam |archive-date=2025-07-20 |access-date=2025-08-07 |website=Collective Shout}}</ref><ref name="CBCCards">{{Cite news |last=Ore |first=Jonathan |date=31 July 2025 |title=How an anti-porn lobby on payment processors censored thousands of video games |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/steam-itch-takedowns-credit-cards-1.7597563 |access-date=1 August 2025 |work=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]]}}</ref>
-Alongside NSFW content they also wanted to get games like 'Detroit Become Human' and 'Mouthwashing' gone from the gaming platforms. Mainly for 'violence against women', which in the case of 'Detroit Become Human' was to show how horrible domestic abuse actually is for the people in the situation and to bring awareness to that happening in our society.
+Alongside NSFW content, the group also expressed desire to remove content such as 'Detroit: Become Human'<!-- https://80.lv/articles/no-mouthwashing-wasn-t-removed-from-itch-io-because-of-the-nsfw-purge --> from gaming platforms, mainly for their depicted 'violence against women' alone.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barbe |first=Rebecca |date=6 Dec 2017 |title=Stop video game Detroit: Become Human, depicting child abuse being sold in Australia |url=https://www.change.org/p/the-hon-christian-porter-mp-stop-video-game-depicting-child-abuse-being-sold-in-australia |url-status=live |access-date=16 Aug 2025 |website=change.org}}</ref>
-They have also taken down various petitions opposing them.
+The owner of a journalist website Vice allegedly instructed certain articles related to Collective Shout to be removed from their website, due to "controversial subject matter". The Author of the articles and several of her co-workers resigned soon afterwards in protest. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.notebookcheck.net/After-payment-processors-prompt-removal-of-Steam-games-journalists-investigating-the-censorship-resign.1063259.0.html|title=After payment processors prompt removal of Steam games, journalists investigating the censorship resign|website=notebookcheck.net|date=2025-08-16}}</ref>
-Despite this, they defended the Netflix movie 'Cuties,' claiming it "Empowered children."{{Citation needed}}
+===Critic petitions takedown===
+The group has also attempted to taken down various petitions critiquing their actions, claiming them to be defamatory.{{Citation needed}}
+===Defense of questionable child acting===
+Collective shout has stated the Netflix movie 'Cuties' did not harm children. The child actors were asked to dance sexually on camera. They claimed this "Empowered children."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Over the last week many supporters... - Melinda Tankard Reist {{!}} Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/100044384471209/posts/10158710725359791/ |website=Facebook |publication-date=2020-08-23}}</ref>
 ==See also==