Financial censorship: Difference between revisions
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'''Financial censorship''' is the practice of major [ | '''Financial censorship''' is the practice of major [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payment_processor '''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=Reitman |first=Rainey |date=2012-02-29 |title=Legal Censorship: PayPal Makes a Habit of Deciding What Users Can Read |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/02/legal-censorship-paypal-makes-habit-deciding-what-users-can-read |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250829181309/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/02/legal-censorship-paypal-makes-habit-deciding-what-users-can-read |archive-date=2025-08-29 |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=Electronic Frontier Foundation}}</ref> medical marijuana advocacy,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Flitter |first=Emily |date=2018-08-22 |title=Wells Fargo closes bank account of candidate who supports marijuana |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/22/wells-fargo-closes-bank-account-of-candidate-who-supports-marijuana.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250829181619/https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/22/wells-fargo-closes-bank-account-of-candidate-who-supports-marijuana.html |archive-date=2025-08-29 |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=CNBC}}</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== | ==Why it is a problem== | ||
* | *This could allow payment processors to censor media they do not like, by refusing to process payments for that specific type of media. | ||
* | *Very anti-consumer, not allowing you to purchase the legal media that you want. | ||
==Notable incidents== | ==Notable incidents== | ||
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===Steam=== | ===Steam=== | ||
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 [https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/gettingstarted/onboarding#5 publishing guidelines] against "in particular, certain kinds of adult only content", and proceeded to withdraw hundreds of titles from sale on the platform.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Koselke |first=Anna |date=2025-07-18 |title=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" |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/games/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/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250726022008/https://www.gamesradar.com/games/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/ |archive-date=26 Jul 2025 |access-date=15 Aug 2025 |work=GamesRadar+ |quote=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.}}</ref> | ''Main article:'' [[Valve allows ISPs and payment processors to censor content on Steam|Valve allows financial censorship of Steam games]] | ||
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 [https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/gettingstarted/onboarding#5 publishing guidelines] against "in particular, certain kinds of adult only content", and proceeded to withdraw hundreds of titles from sale on the platform.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Koselke |first=Anna |date=2025-07-18 |title=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" |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/games/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/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250726022008/https://www.gamesradar.com/games/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/ |archive-date=26 Jul 2025 |access-date=15 Aug 2025 |work=GamesRadar+ |quote=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.}}</ref> This was due to a demand from payment processors [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_Inc. '''Visa Inc.'''] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastercard '''Mastercard'''] after multiple complaints from a group called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_Shout '''Collective Shout'''] <ref name = "Visa-Mastercard-Censorship">{{Cite news | last=Hansford | first=Amelia | title=Why are Visa and Mastercard banning ‘adult’ purchases? Here’s everything you need to know | url=https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/08/04/visa-mastercard-adult-purchases/ | website=ThePinkNews | date=2025-08-04 | access-date=2025-09-02 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250814182300/https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/08/04/visa-mastercard-adult-purchases/ | archive-date=2025-08-14}}</ref> | |||
===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. <ref name = "Visa-Mastercard-Censorship" /> | ||
===Wikileaks, 2011=== | ===Wikileaks, 2011=== | ||
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From Visa, Mastercard, Bank of America, PayPal, and Western Union.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Holden |first=Michael |date=2011-10-24 |title=WikiLeaks says "blockade" threatens its existence |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-wikileaks-idUSTRE79N46K20111024/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250829181835/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-wikileaks-idUSTRE79N46K20111024/ |archive-date=2025-08-29 |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=Reuters}}</ref> | From Visa, Mastercard, Bank of America, PayPal, and Western Union.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Holden |first=Michael |date=2011-10-24 |title=WikiLeaks says "blockade" threatens its existence |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-wikileaks-idUSTRE79N46K20111024/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250829181835/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-wikileaks-idUSTRE79N46K20111024/ |archive-date=2025-08-29 |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=Reuters}}</ref> | ||
==Possible Solutions== | |||
== Possible Solutions == | |||
* Cryptocurrency such as | *Cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin or Monero<!-- Spelling this correctly will refuse the edit as spam --> | ||
* Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) | *Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) | ||
* [https://www.taler.net GNU Taler] is open source and allows for payments that are anonymous for the payer but not the entity receiving the money | *[https://www.taler.net GNU Taler] is open source and allows for payments that are anonymous for the payer but not the entity receiving the money | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||