LOS ANGELES—Four months after banning Pornhub users from using their credit cards to make purchases on the site, Mastercard handed down a new set of rules for banks that process payments for adult businesses, according to a statement issued by the credit card company on Wednesday.
“Banks that connect merchants to our network will need to certify that the seller of adult content has effective controls in place to monitor, block and, where necessary, take down all illegal content,” the company said in the statement. The company also put the onus on banks to guarantee that merchants selling adult material require “clear, unambiguous and documented consent” for anyone appearing in video or images, according to a report by Bloomberg News.
In December, Mastercard and its largest competitor in the credit card issuing industry, Visa, announced that they would no longer process payments made on Pornhub.
But Mastercard’s new decree shifts a large amount of responsibility onto banks, who must now become, in effect, police for adult sites and businesses. Before allowing Mastercard credit cards to be used on any particular adult site, the bank issuing the card must take it upon itself to make sure the site has a “review process” for any adult content before it appears online.
Banks must also require that sites have a process in place for complaints over allegedly non-consensual content, as well as a system that allows anyone who appears in an adult video or photo to demand removal of that content.
“You might ask, ‘Why now?’” Mastercard said in the online statement, authored by Mastercard Senior Vice President John Verdeschi. “In the past few years, the ability to upload content to the internet has become easier than ever. All someone needs is a smartphone and a Wi-Fi connection. Now, our requirements address the risks associated with this activity. And that starts with strong content control measures.”
According to its online statement, Mastercard has formed a partnership with the Internet Watch Foundation, a British charity group whose own site gives its mission statement as “to eliminate child sexual abuse imagery online.” Mastercard has also partnered with WeProtect Global Alliance, another British anti-pornography group.
“Both of these organizations are leading the charge to fight sexual exploitation, protect the youngest consumers and make the internet a safer place for people of all ages,” Verdeschi said in the statement.
Photo By Pguillaud / Wikimedia Commons
