MasterCard and Visa will stop processing payments for the advertising arm of Pornhub’s parent firm after developments in a lawsuit related to child pornography.
On July 29, a Federal judge in California denied Visa’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit by a woman claiming that the card behemoth knowingly facilitated the distribution of child pornography on Pornhub.
In an official statement, Visa CEO Al Kelly said that the firm:
“Condemns sex trafficking, sexual exploitation, and child sexual abuse. It is illegal, and Visa does not permit the use of our network for illegal activity.”
Nevertheless, the court decision has prompted MasterCard and Visa to suspend acceptance of payments for TrafficJunky, the advertising arm of Pornhub parent firm MindGeek.
The payments companies stopped processing payments for Pornhub in late 2021 after a New York Times story alleged that the site hosted videos of child sexual assault. Nevertheless, the court ruling raises issues about indirect funding.
MasterCard said in a statement:
“We are directing financial institutions to suspend acceptance of our products at TrafficJunky. New facts from last week’s court ruling made us aware of advertising revenue outside of our view that appears to provide Pornhub with indirect funding.”
