Financial censorship: Difference between revisions
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'''Financial censorship''' is the practice of major [[payment processors]] refusing to process transactions for entities that do not align with their values. | '''Financial censorship''' is the practice of major [[payment processors]] refusing to process transactions for individuals or entities that do not align with their values. Although some banks and processors must comply with the law by avoiding known criminal activity, some institutions take a heavy-handed approach in this regard, leading to the censorship of legal adult content,<ref>{{Cite web |last=EFF |title=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/02/legal-censorship-paypal-makes-habit-deciding-what-users-can-read |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/02/legal-censorship-paypal-makes-habit-deciding-what-users-can-read}}</ref> medical marijuana advocacy,<ref>{{Cite web |last=CNBC |date=2018 |title= |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/22/wells-fargo-closes-bank-account-of-candidate-who-supports-marijuana.html}}</ref> and other incidents. Companies like PayPal have a long history of censorship; although, when major payment processors such as Visa and Mastercard censor individuals or business entities, they effectively ban those people from engaging in payment transactions at all. This is due to their dominant position in global finance with no widely-adopted alternative. | ||
== Why it is a problem == | |||
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==Notable incidents== | ==Notable incidents== | ||
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===Itch.io=== | ===Itch.io=== | ||
In July 2025, [[Itch.io]], a platform for many indie games, delisted "all adult {{Wplink|Not safe for work|NSFW}} content" from their storefront. Later that month, they restored all NSFW games, as long as they're free. Currently, they are in negotiations with payment processors to start restoring some paid titles, but they have acknowledged that this will see some titles permanently removed from the platform. | In July 2025, [[Itch.io]], a platform for many indie games, delisted "all adult {{Wplink|Not safe for work|NSFW}} content" from their storefront. Later that month, they restored all NSFW games, as long as they're free. Currently, they are in negotiations with payment processors to start restoring some paid titles, but they have acknowledged that this will see some titles permanently removed from the platform. | ||
===Wikileaks, 2011=== | ===Wikileaks, 2011=== | ||
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From Visa, Mastercard, Bank of America, PayPal, and Western Union.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reuters |first= |date=2011 |title=WikiLeaks says "blockade" threatens its existence |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-wikileaks-idUSTRE79N46K20111024/}}</ref> | From Visa, Mastercard, Bank of America, PayPal, and Western Union.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reuters |first= |date=2011 |title=WikiLeaks says "blockade" threatens its existence |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-wikileaks-idUSTRE79N46K20111024/}}</ref> | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Latest revision as of 16:58, 26 August 2025
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Financial censorship is the practice of major payment processors refusing to process transactions for individuals or entities that do not align with their values. Although some banks and processors must comply with the law by avoiding known criminal activity, some institutions take a heavy-handed approach in this regard, leading to the censorship of legal adult content,[1] medical marijuana advocacy,[2] and other incidents. Companies like PayPal have a long history of censorship; although, when major payment processors such as Visa and Mastercard censor individuals or business entities, they effectively ban those people from engaging in payment transactions at all. This is due to their dominant position in global finance with no widely-adopted alternative.
Why it is a problem[edit | edit source]
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Notable incidents[edit | edit source]
This section is incomplete. This notice can be deleted once all the placeholder text has been replaced.
Steam[edit | edit source]
In July 2025, Steam, an online platform and digital marketplace for video games and related computer software and assets, added a new rule to their publishing guidelines against "in particular, certain kinds of adult only content", and proceeded to withdraw hundreds of titles from sale on the platform.[3]
Itch.io[edit | edit source]
In July 2025, Itch.io, a platform for many indie games, delisted "all adult NSFW content" from their storefront. Later that month, they restored all NSFW games, as long as they're free. Currently, they are in negotiations with payment processors to start restoring some paid titles, but they have acknowledged that this will see some titles permanently removed from the platform.
Wikileaks, 2011[edit | edit source]
Famous whistleblower Julian Assange was censored in what he called a "financial blockade."
"Visa and MasterCard stopped processing donations for WikiLeaks in December 2010 after the United States criticized the organization's release of thousands of sensitive U.S. diplomatic cables from its embassies all over the world."
From Visa, Mastercard, Bank of America, PayPal, and Western Union.[4]
See also[edit | edit source]
External links[edit | edit source]
- https://www.eff.org/issues/financial-censorship
- https://www.change.org/p/stop-payment-processors-from-dictating-legal-purchases
- https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/987/text
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ EFF. "https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/02/legal-censorship-paypal-makes-habit-deciding-what-users-can-read".
{{cite web}}: External link in|title= - ↑ CNBC (2018). https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/22/wells-fargo-closes-bank-account-of-candidate-who-supports-marijuana.html.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Koselke, Anna (2025-07-18). "Valve confirms pressure from banks and card companies is to blame for the storefront axing adult Steam games: "Loss of payment methods would prevent customers from being able to purchase other titles"". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 26 Jul 2025. Retrieved 15 Aug 2025.
Judging by the information available on SteamDB, over 100 games have been marked as "retired" from Valve's storefront in just two days – many of which are titles with adult-only content.
- ↑ Reuters (2011). "WikiLeaks says "blockade" threatens its existence".
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help)