Financial censorship: Difference between revisions
more incidents added |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Stub}} | {{Stub}} | ||
'''Financial censorship''' is the practice of major [[payment processors]] | '''Financial censorship''' is the practice of major [[payment processors]] refusing to process transactions for entities that do not align with their values. Since these payment processors hold a dominant position in global finance with no widely-adopted alternative, this practice results in a strong chilling effect by making independent free expression that runs afoul of their policies financially unsustainable. | ||
== | ==Notable incidents== | ||
{{Incomplete section}} | {{Incomplete section}} | ||
| Line 10: | Line 10: | ||
===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. | ||
=== Stripe, 2012 === | ===Stripe, 2012=== | ||
Stripe pre-emptively censored LGBTQ erotic fiction on Nifty Archive in fear of breaking user agreements with Visa and Mastercard. Some time later, they rescinded.<ref>{{Cite web |last=EFF |title=Payment Provider Stripe Upholds Free Speech, Reactivates Nifty Archives |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/11/payment-provider-stripe-upholds-free-speech-reactivates-nifty-archives}}</ref> | Stripe pre-emptively censored LGBTQ erotic fiction on Nifty Archive in fear of breaking user agreements with Visa and Mastercard. Some time later, they rescinded.<ref>{{Cite web |last=EFF |title=Payment Provider Stripe Upholds Free Speech, Reactivates Nifty Archives |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/11/payment-provider-stripe-upholds-free-speech-reactivates-nifty-archives}}</ref> | ||
=== Wikileaks, 2011 === | ===Wikileaks, 2011=== | ||
Famous whistleblower Julian Assange was censored in what he called a "financial blockade." | Famous whistleblower Julian Assange was censored in what he called a "financial blockade." | ||
| Line 22: | Line 22: | ||
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> | ||
== | === Dem. candidate Nikki Fried, 2018 === | ||
Wells Fargo closed the account of Nikki Fried, a Florida candidate, due to her advocacy of medical marijuana, which is legal in the state of Florida.<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> | |||
=== COVID misinformation, 2022 === | ==PayPal== | ||
[[PayPal]] has an extensive history with censoring content from individuals and organizations alike, including (but certainly not limited to): | |||
===COVID misinformation, 2022=== | |||
In 2022, PayPal enacted a policy to target misinformation during the COVID pandemic by charging a $2,500 fine to individuals. | In 2022, PayPal enacted a policy to target misinformation during the COVID pandemic by charging a $2,500 fine to individuals. | ||
"The new policy, which said customers could have to pay damages of $2,500 for each violation, was supposed to go into effect on Nov. 3, the reports said."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reuters |date=2022 |title=PayPal says policy to fine customers for 'misinformation' was an 'error' |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/paypal-says-it-never-intended-fine-users-misinformation-bloomberg-news-2022-10-10/}}</ref> | "The new policy, which said customers could have to pay damages of $2,500 for each violation, was supposed to go into effect on Nov. 3, the reports said."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reuters |date=2022 |title=PayPal says policy to fine customers for 'misinformation' was an 'error' |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/paypal-says-it-never-intended-fine-users-misinformation-bloomberg-news-2022-10-10/}}</ref> | ||
=== Smashwords, 2012 === | ===Smashwords, 2012=== | ||
The indie ebook publisher, Smashwords, was censored by PayPal for publishing explicit 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> | The indie ebook publisher, Smashwords, was censored by PayPal for publishing explicit 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> | ||