Visa/Mastercard told two major game distribution services to remove certain games, because a religious organization pressured them. Gamers are pissed.
The reason they want emails is because the phone calls are slowing the call center SLA to a crawl and tanking their metrics for the quarter. If this keeps up, the payment processor will push back next time and Christian authoritarians won't be able to get away with shenanigans like this again.
They probably have their customer support laid out as phone, email, and maybe chat. Phone is the most expensive support channel because it's 1 person to 1 problem and it's impossible to scale, so they can't roll out a bot or ignore the metrics for long. Keep up the pressure!
Do we think these payment processors are running their own call centers? Seems more likely that they're contracting the work out, and those firms just aren't going to get their contracts renewed.
I just tried Visa Canada and I got someone without any accent, so either they have their own or they have to run it out of Canada because of financial laws. I call the English line speaking French
Also kinda weird it was just these two platforms. Browsing through the Switch 2 store the other day, I saw a few porn games on there, too. One of which was literally about the "step sister stuck in the washing machine" meme.
Sorting by new on the eshop shows a surprising number of slop games.
Quite a contrast to the Nintendo Seal of Quality that is largely responsible for saving the video games industry after the crash in '82.
It's Nintendo FF
That's the point; the washing machine and the step brother are a metaphor for Nintendo, the step sister for their customers.
Incest
No, no, it's metaphorical criticism.
omg so much shovelware and cheapest porn
i expected that the Nintendo eShop would be more curated, but this is no better than other stores - no, it's even worse, because parents fully have the same expectation that i had before seeing that, and many will just hand a nintendo device over to the kid without checking.
and 70$ for cyberpunk 2077 - it's a new console, not a new game ffs.
Despite what religions say, this is what they actually do:
They attempt to control your life based on their fiction.
Every time. Every year. Every century. It never stops. This is what religion is about. Controlling everything and everyone. For the better? Nope. Definitely not.
Would be nice if any religion ever had even a shred of proof. Imagine if a Catholic priest actually could do the Healing hands?
Nope. Just controlling dicks.
@DreamAccountant@lemmy.world @bytesonbike@discuss.online
It's a dangerous generalization, stating that "{all} religions want to control your life".
I'm somewhat Lilithian-Luciferian with many syncretic influences such as Thelemite and Hermetic concepts, and the very core values represented by Lilith and Lucifer are "do what thou wilt". Also, my belief neither chains me nor others, especially because I don't follow a religion or a religious group (and, well, having any dogmas wouldn't match the non-conformist, rebellious and anarchist values imbued by Them).
So, before conflating Abrahamic dogmas with the broad terms "religion" and "faith", be aware of how there are a plethora of different religions and belief systems around the world: some religions want to chain everybody, others want to break the chains.
For maximum disruption, phone, then email. If they don't respond in a timely manner (or it's boilerplate bs), another phone call to "clarify" things.
Just remember, the grunts on the phone aren't your enemy. Your goal is to maximise the amount of time you swallow, not to upset them. They could often be allies in hiding.
We don't have to truly break them. We just have to be more annoying than the religious nutjobs.
Master card
Visa
PayPal
Stripe (unconfirmed)
Script:
I’m calling to urge [company name] to immediately end the policy that unfairly targets the adult content industry. I’m also asking that [company name] sit down with stakeholders- specifically sex workers and adult content creators- to develop solutions that ensure equitable access to financial services, create stability, and reduce harm for sex workers.
afaik it’s not a new policy for mastercard/visa: what’s new is that valve, itch, and even visa and mastercard were just kinda ignoring it
worth noting it’s not all adult content either… things like fisting even are fine, but “bodily fluids” are not. it’s a bit of a weird one all round
i think that they just did a big over-correction
and to be clear, i absolutely DO NOT think even the policy as it stands/stood should hold: they shouldn’t be in the business of morality policing almost anything - if i want to pay for videos/games with bodily fluids in porn then they should facilitate that transaction
Mastercard is now trying to get you to give your bank/card in order to take the complaint lol had 3 reps ask. Don't give em the info they might cancel your card or some shit in retaliation
Called both, both wanted me to email. I read script then told them to stay in their lane. They both said this matter has already been documented. Keep calling should call them every day if you have the time. Also its, 1, 1, then just hit # when they ask for card number. Then you get transferred. I had four minute wait with Visa.
I have a friend who runs starlight shop. She’s not allowed to use cards for many things because the payment processors are convinced she is running a scam since they have classes on reiki and palm reading and herbs and stones and other stuff they tell her they “don’t pay fortune tellers.”
This really should be regulated. Electronic payments must accept everything cash can be used for or nothing. None of this censorship bullshit.
Is there hope for the US? They are looking more and more like Saudi Arabia. What's next, killing journalists and banning the opposition?
Yes.
Americans have alternatives in the form of Amex and Discover card apparently. Do we also have any alternative that works EU-wide at least? And where does one even get a card that's not Mastercard or Visa, if that's all that the local banks and my neobanks offer?
Wero is a fairly new technology on the market. They advertise it as being made in Europe. A bunch of major banks in Germany, France, and Belgium seem to support it. I haven't used it yet though.
It's a cool thing and will be great for online payments but I don't think there's a solution for in person payments yet, still need one of the big 2 for that
Amex or discover are a fucking joke. No bank uses em either.
So your stuck with really shitty credit cards that you would have to be stupid to get or the REALLY nice ones that have like 1000+ annual fee.
So hey, what are the actual alternatives to Visa and Mastercard, especially if you live in the US?
Amex and discover for credit card. PayPal (has also done similar), crypto if accepted and debit.
Paypal is not a valid alternative to this situation.
Are they a religious org? I thought they were explicitly feminist, or is that just the CEO?
Religious anti-choice feminists who protect the children by cheering for a show glorifying child sexual abuse, but banning video games that depict sex between consenting adults.
Yeaaaah...
These days?
That line is pretty blurry.
Oh no, the gamers are pissed.
Gamers said they wanted women out of games, I thought they'd be happy. /s
A few incel bigots != Gamers
/s != serious
That's a good way to start the mass adoption of crypto as payment system.
I said the same thing on another post and got upvoted to the top. Damn, lemmy is fickle.
Jessie what the fuck are you talking about?
Censorship is the fetish of the rich and powerfull.